KAPALUA, Maui >> Dustin Johnson’s memory is as long as the putt he had at the 12th during Sunday’s final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions — short.
Very short.
The official distance his golf ball landed from the cup after the 433-yard drive he smacked at the par-4 hole was 6 inches, according to ShotLink. But it was closer than that. Johnson figured it might have been 4 inches, but observers in the press room swore it couldn’t have been more than 3.
Whatever.
The near miss for an ace was the crowning achievement for Johnson, who knew after he hit the drive that it was on the right line. He didn’t see it land just off the left side of the fairway and kick perfectly toward the green. Nor did he see the ball race toward the pin, breaking beautifully along the way, only to come up a roll or two short.
Had it not rained off and on during the final round of this winners-only tournament, perhaps it falls in for the first ace on a par-4 in a PGA Tour event since Andrew Magee did it in 2001. Johnson heard the applause but had no idea how close it was until he was told about it as he walked toward the green.
“I knew it was going to be pretty good,” Johnson said after winning this event by eight shots over runner-up Jon Rahm. “I just didn’t think, obviously, I was going to have a tap-in.”
Johnson began his final round with a two-shot lead over playing partner Brian Harman. He hadn’t even thought about the last time he had a 54-hole lead the final weekend in October until reminded of it by a Golf Channel announcer after the third round.
Ten weeks ago at the HSBC Champions in China, Johnson blew a six-shot advantage and eventually lost to Justin Rose, who came from eight shots off the pace to win. There was also that stunning defeat to Jordan Spieth at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers only to come back and win the 2016 U.S. Open.
Or that time Johnson lost the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits when he unknowingly grounded his club in a bunker after a wayward drive at the last led to a two-shot penalty and a lost chance for a playoff. Or how about that time when he had the 54-hole lead at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and he closed with an 82.
When asked “What’s the longest a loss has ever lingered for you? And which one was it?,” Johnson replied succinctly, “Not very long, I don’t think. Day maybe. Not even. I mean I go back over it and talk about it, but as far as how long has it frustrated me or anything, or words I would use I probably shouldn’t say here, but yeah, not long. Pebble, the first time, I had the lead going into Pebble, that one probably bothered me until the next day.”
The reporter replied, “You went fishing the next day, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did,” Johnson said. “That was fun. I never thought about Pebble after that, that’s for sure. And then Whistling Straits I was frustrated for about an hour.”
Johnson was asked if he played golf the day after losing the U.S. Open to Spieth at Chambers.
“Yeah,” Johnson said of his round in Idaho with future father-in-law Wayne Gretzky. “Yeah, I did.”
When asked if a short memory was a good thing when playing golf, Johnson quipped, “I would imagine. I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
What everyone who followed along at Kapalua on Sunday will remember is the world No. 1 almost lapped the field. This wasn’t a bunch of goofball golfers wandering aimlessly around the Plantation Course. This was a 34-man field of the best players in the world. The top five were in the house, seven of the top 10. Johnson was asked if he’s unbeatable if he is playing his best.
“I feel like if I play my best, absolutely,” Johnson said. “But there’s other guys, there’s quite a few guys where if they’re playing their best and I’m not at my best, I can’t beat them. But I feel like if I’m at my best, then, yeah, I would welcome any comers.”
And if he lost? Forget about it.
