Dustin Johnson shot what many were touting as a “disappointing” 60 in the second round at the Northern Trust. But there was nothing disappointing about his play over 72 holes at TPC Boston. Johnson won the tournament, reclaimed the No.1 spot in the world and showed that when he is on, few can match his firepower.
Johnson finished at a staggering 30-under par to win by 11 shots over Harris English. His play over the final 36 holes was particularly impressive, with 22 birdies, five (yes, five) eagles and a lone bogey.
As he did during his win at the Travelers Championship in June, Johnson had the putter working, picking up more than five shots on the field on the greens with his TaylorMade Spider Tour IB mallet putter to rank 10th in the field – not bad for a guy not known for his work on the greens and seemingly changing putters every week.
Off the tee, Johnson averaged 293 metres (320 yards) in driving distance with his TaylorMade SIM driver to rank second in the field. He also ranked second in strokes gained/off-the-tee. But it was his work with his TaylorMade P730 blade irons that produced the greatest results. Johnson was a startling 12-plus strokes ahead of the field in strokes gained/approach-the-green and an almost unheard of 90.28 percent in greens in regulation – both ranking first for the week – including hitting all 18 greens in the final round.
On Sunday he hit approach shots to within eight feet at the par-5 second, leading to an eagle; to 19 inches at the short par-4 fourth; to four feet on the next hole and to 13 feet on the par-3 eighth – all leading to birdies. Then he lasered a 6-iron to inside four feet at the par-4 12th for yet another birdie. As Johnson said after the third round, “I really felt comfortable with my irons. I feel like I’m controlling my distance very well.”
That comment, like the way Johnson handles himself on the golf course, is a bit understated. But not disappointing.
What Dustin Johnson had in the bag at the Northern Trust:
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2.0 X), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)
7-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (21 degrees)
Irons (3-PW): TaylorMade P730
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 (52, 60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour IB
