Dustin Johnson undone again in a major by putting
Nobody in the 80th Masters drove the ball farther than Dustin Johnson, and not many people hit their irons any better, but the Dutch Fork High graduate ended up in the close-but-no-cigar category in another major Sunday because of faulty putting.
Johnson, whose driving average of 299.6 yards led the tournament, was tied for seventh in fewest putts this week with 115, but the devil is in the details of those misses.
Take Sunday for example.
He shot a 1-under 71 and was within two shots of the lead late in the day, but could not finish the job with his flat stick. In the final round, Johnson missed a 9-footer on No. 2, a 5-footer on No. 3, a 15-footer on No. 5, a 13-footer on No. 8, a 12-footer on No. 10, a 13-footer on No. 13, a 5-footer on No. 17 and a 9-footer on No. 18.
The end result was a tie for fourth at 1-under par, four shots behind winner Danny Willett. It was Johnson’s best Masters finish, building on his sixth place in last year’s tournament. After the round, he was asked if there was any particular putt he wished he could have back.
“All of them that didn't go in,” he said. “Yeah, I had a lot of great looks. I felt like I hit some pretty good putts that maybe the speed I hit a couple just a fraction too hard, but out here just a fraction off you miss. I hit a lot of good putts, I thought I made, that didn't go in, so just I felt like I played tee to green just as good as anyone, and I just didn’t hole enough putts.”
It was the same refrain as last year’s U.S. Open, when Johnson led going into the final hole but three-putted the 72nd hole to give Jordan Spieth the victory. Johnson has yet to win a major, but has now finished in the top 10 in 11 of them. He has finished in the top four five times.
The near misses weren’t weighing on his mind as he left the course Sunday. Instead, the 31-year-old Coastal Carolina alum, who is ranked No. 8 in the world, was looking at the bright side.
“I feel great,” he said. “I think my game's exactly where it needs to be. I feel like I'm playing really solid. I feel like I’ve got control of my game. So I'm looking forward to the year for sure.”
Johnson had two double bogeys Sunday, Nos. 5 and 17, and four for the week. His next shot at a major championship will come June 16-19 at the U.S. Open in Oakmont, Pa.
“I'm doing all the right things. I hit it in all the right spots. I hit some great shots, and so that was pretty much it,” he said. “But after making double on 5, I came back and played really well from there to the house, even missed quite a few short ones, not necessarily bad putts, just burning the edges, but I'm definitely pleased with the way I played. I mean the atmosphere was great, had a lot of fun and looking forward to next year.
“I feel like I'm getting better each year, so I'm looking forward to it.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 8:57 PM with the headline "Dustin Johnson undone again in a major by putting."