Dustin Johnson wins Northern Trust, says game ‘is back on form’
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Dustin Johnson wowed in the Northern Trust play-off against Jordan Spieth with a 341 yard drive over a lake that ultimately helped him to the title – and he says his game feels back to his pre-Masters best.
The World No.1 had just watched Spieth bomb a 315 yard drive down the centre of the fairway, and rather than opting for safety – he took the most dangerous line he could straight over a lake that needed over 300 yards of carry.
The risk paid off, leaving the 2016 US Open Champion a lob wedge in to the green. He stuck it to just a few feet, and holed the birdie putt to win his second Northern Trust title and fourth PGA Tour win in 2017.
His victory also put him back to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings, and the 33-year-old claimed that he was back to his best.
“I feel like the game is finally back in form like it was leading into the Masters,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m swinging everything really well and I got a lot of control over the golf ball.
Earlier this year DJ had won three back-to-back victories in a row and was the favourite for the green jacket, but he slipped down the stairs of his Augusta rental home on the eve of the first round and was forced to withdraw.
Since then he hasn’t been able to dominate in the way he had in the first part of the year, but he’s been recently trending in the right direction and proved he was back to his best in New York last week.
At one stage he lay five shots back of Spieth in the final round, but a four-under-par final round was enough to force the play-off and get him in position to win the FedEx Cup. It’s a position he found himself in last year before stumbling to a 73 during the final round and letting Rory McIlroy overpower him to victory. It’s something he isn’t keen to repeat this year.
“I’m feeling really good. Obviously getting the win here today gives me a lot of confidence going into next week and the rest of the play-offs.”
“It’s been a struggle to get back to where I belong and where I feel like I should be, which is contending in golf tournaments and playing really good golf. This week I did that – I finally got back.”
Spieth took a three-shot lead into the final round and briefly held a five-stroke advantage during the final day, only to see Johnson fight back with a bogey-free 66 to take the contest to extra holes.
Yet Spieth is still very much in this contest to win the FedEx Cup, currently lying second behind DJ. And with three wins to his name this year which includes his first Open championship, he still has a lot of confidence in his game.
“I didn’t lose it tournament, he [Johnson] won it,” Spieth said in a post-tournament press conference. “I thought that was a fun show to be a part of.”
“I feel great about my game. I had two great putting days, I had one bad putting day and one very average. Just get the putting more consistent.
“I recognized a couple tendencies that I got into my swing towards the end of the round that prevented me from hitting great iron shots like I did before, so I know what to work on.”
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