By Paul Myers
Honestly, this wasn’t very surprising. Just two weeks after finally claiming his first major, Dustin Johnson took home another big title, this one coming at the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational. Johnson has always had incredible talent, and he has certainly had his share of wins, but it seems that he might be poised for an extended run of dominating play now that the major hurdle has been cleared. Against a field that included most of the top players in the world, Johnson found his way to the top of the leader board on Sunday afternoon, passing up current world #1 Jason Day in the process.
In the end, Johnson would post a total of -6 after a pair of impressive 66’s on the weekend around the difficult Firestone CC South Course. His total was good for a one shot victory over Scott Piercy, who was also one of his main challengers at Oakmont during the U.S. Open. Jordan Spieth tied for third with Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, and Kevin Chappell at -3. Also near the top of the leader board where past major champions Zach Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, and Adam Scott, as well as Rickie Fowler and Branden Grace.
Closing Like a Pro
Although Johnson made a bogey on his final hole of the tournament, it was the stretch leading up to that bogey that secured him the title. He played holes 13-17 in three under par, even with a par on the par-5 16th. There have been times in the past when Johnson has come up a little bit short late on Sunday afternoon, so his ability to close this tournament quickly after doing the same thing at the U.S. Open could mean bad news for his competition. If he is able to play as well on Sunday as he usually does throughout the rest of the week, there is no telling what he might be able to accomplish in the years to come.
The Open Championship is Coming
Sadly, the PGA Tour will be off during the week between the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational and The Open Championship due to tragic floods in West Virginia. The Greenbrier Classic was to be played on The Old White TPC, however the course was badly damaged during the flooding – which is obviously a secondary concern to the real-life tragedy of the flooding.
When play does resume on the PGA Tour, it will do so at one of the biggest tournaments in the world – The Open Championship. This years’ Open will be played at Royal Troon GC in Ayrshire, Scotland. Zach Johnson is the defending champion of the event, having won in a playoff last year at St. Andrews. There will be plenty of story lines to follow at Royal Troon, including whether or not Dustin Johnson can make it three big wins in a row, or whether one of the other top players such as Day or Spieth can add their name to the Claret Jug.