Posts Tagged ‘ dustin johnson ’

Desperate Days

It’s easy to contend for a major when your young, athletic and naive of your own mortality. Today’s thrashing twenty-somethings have all the razzle-dazzle and hype fit for the Vegas strip. Being a superstar at 23, with a silver jug in one hand and a tennis princess in the other, will give anybody a white ball complex. The real grit and grime collects on golf’s fossils, relatively speaking. The forty-somethings carry a certain desperation and last-ditch mentality that oozes like slime.

Look at the contentment of Darren Clarke, who at 42 conquered a seemingly fruitless ambition at last year’s Open Championship. You can count the near misses of the Northern Irishman like the accumulating gray hairs on his head. Finally, bliss.

Rory McIlroy showed us what true potential can be at Congressional last year, but contracted Anthony Kim-syndrome after tasting success. Excessive globetrotting has only exhausted the mop-topped star.

–>Take a look at journeyman Steve Stricker this week. The 45-year-old model of consistency has a real shot at breaking through and snagging the Wanamaker. His stoic swing can handle the ebb-and-flow of the Ocean Course and it’s deceptive winds. He’s been close before–second in 1998–and there’s a stench of desperation. How many more years of world class golf can “Strick” put together? With appearances in the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup in each of the past five years, Stricker is no stranger to pressure. He just needs to hold on down the home stretch.

Other guys to watch:

Dustin Johnson– The Coastal Carolina Kid has all the tools to avenge 2010’s calamity at Whistling Straits. While he hasn’t shown much promise on the PGA Tour in 2012 (29th on the Money List), he’s back in familiar territory at Kiawah Island.

Graeme McDowell– Arguably playing the best golf in the world this season. His major line in 2012: T-12, T-2, T-5. McDowell has been tearing up courses with his ball striking, look for another strong outing.

Davis Love III– [SEE: 40SOMETHINGs] Remember the point about desperation? It can be a beautiful, sinister, motivating factor. Let’s not forget that DL3 is partial to the Carolinas. He graduated from the University of North Carolina and has had plenty of success in the region. Heck, three of his first five PGA Tour wins came in Hilton Head, S.C. We also know he’s got the composure of a major champion, with a victory at Winged Foot in ’97.

Let’s not forget this guy either…

2012
08/08
CATEGORY
PGA12
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The Case for Dustin Johnson

If there was ever a year for Dustin Johnson to reign supremacy on the PGA Tour, it was 2010. Courses around America were defenseless for the Coastal Carolina product’s wicked length.

Two victories yielded high praise indeed, but it’s what he didn’t accomplish that still stalks him in 2012.

Legend has it, that the then-25-year-old took a three stroke lead into the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and promptly coughed it up on the 56th hole. An insurmountable wave of pressure derailed his placid confidence.

When the national stage beckoned for more Dustin at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, the agony was even more palpable. On the 72nd hole, a misjudged grounding-of-the-club resulted in a debilitating two-stroke penalty that kept him out of an ensuing playoff. Germany’s Martin Kaymer walked away with a stunning victory.

Two years removed, we are still waiting for American golf’s “sure thing” to land a major championship. A distant T-2 at last year’s British Open was progress, but getting cut at the sequential PGA Championship was anything but.

In 2012, the seasoned 27-year-old may finally be ready for a jacket, jug or something large and silver. The pieces are on the table, he just needs to assemble them.

My spin: It will take a lot to hold Johnson back from claiming what may have rightfully been his in ’10. With a deep and brazen crop of young talent on the offensive, the opposition is as good as it’s ever been. The Masters and U.S. Open may not be ideal locations to “seal the deal,” but the game’s final two majors are begging for DJ to take them. Royal Lytham & St. Annes, was home to David Duval’s 2001 triumph. If the weather is comparable to a decade ago, it will be a scorer’s paradise. Johnson is known to make a lot of birdies, and can climb a leaderboard in a heartbeat. His length will also undoubtedly increase his Vegas odds.

The PGA Championship will ultimately be a homecoming for Johnson, as the Tour makes its first ever stop to Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The renowned Ocean Course is expected to throw plenty of wrenches at players without local knowledge. Nobody will know the undulations and contours better than Johnson, who’s partial to the state’s rich golf history. If all goes well, he’ll be able to burn rubber north to Myrtle Beach for a “Teal and Bronze” after party. Let’s just hope Johnson and Mr. Wanamaker buckle up and celebrate responsibly.

2012
02/23
CATEGORY
Tour Cases 2012
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