GolfPlus July 2018 Digital Edition (July 2018) | Page 22

2QWKH3*$7RXU
DUSTIN DOMINATES
ustin Johnson’s only history with walk-off hole-outs came
during his junior golf days in South Carolina. It was during a
tournament while playing against PGA TOUR winner Kevin
Kisner that Johnson found himself on the receiving end of a hole-out
to lose a tournament. “[Kevin] actually skulled it, too,” Johnson said
with a smile. “It hit the À ag and went in and beat me by a shot.”
Johnson had the opportunity to feel what it’s like to be on the
victorious side of a hole-out during the ¿ nal round of the FedEx St.
Jude Classic. With a lash from the rough with his 9-iron, Johnson
watched as his approach shot landed on the green and disappeared
into the hole for eagle. For a couple seconds, Johnson wasn’t sure if
the ball had gone in. “By the reaction from the crowd, I thought it
might have gone in, but I couldn’t see it so it was kind of tough,” said
Johnson after shooting 66. “What a cool way to end.”
The shot capped a dominant ¿ nal round performance from
Johnson, who left TPC Southwind with a six-shot victory after starting
the afternoon tied with Andrew Putnam at 15 under. Despite making
just one birdie in his ¿ rst 12 holes, Johnson was in complete control
of his game for much of the day, grabbing a two-shot lead after the
opening hole that set the tone for the round. While Johnson hit only
12 greens in regulation, he was able to lean on his putting when it
counted. Holding a two-shot lead on the 12th hole, Johnson appeared
to be on the verge of letting Putnam back into the tournament when his
putt from 54 feet came up 15 feet short of the hole. Instead of dropping
a shot, Johnson calmly rolled in the 15-footer to retain the two-shot
advantage, giving a ¿ st pump in the process.
“That was a big putt,” Johnson said. “That kind of gave me the
boost I needed to ¿ nish out the round. Sometimes those par putts are
just as big if not bigger than the birdie putts. Kind of gave me the extra
boost I needed to ¿ nish the round.”
The Memorial Tournament became memorial for Bryson
ere are nine tidbits from the third round of the Memorial
Tournament presented by Nationwide that gamers can use
tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Jack Nicklaus’
Muir¿ eld Village Golf Club, just outside Columbus, Ohio,
has hosted for the 42 previous events and plays 7,392 yards to a Par-
72. With a birdie on the second playoff hole, Bryson DeChambeau
defeated Byeong-Hun An to win the Memorial. DeChambeau and
An advanced after Kyle Stanley was eliminated on the ¿ rst playoff
hole. All three players posted 15-under-
par 273 for the week. After missing
Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfi eld
the cut in 16 of 31 events last year,
DeChambeau has shown his maturity in
Village Golf Club, just
his second full season on TOUR. He’s
outside Columbus, Ohio,
only had to pack his bags early once
has hosted for the 42
this year in 16 events. This was also his
previous events and
sixth top-10 ¿ nish during that streak as
plays 7,392 yards to a
he is proving over and over again how
quickly he picks up TOUR life. At 24,
Par-72. With a birdie on
he joins just Tiger Woods and Hideki
the second playoff hole,
Matsuyama as the only players to win
Bryson DeChambeau
at MVGC that were under the age of
defeated Byeong-Hun An
25. The sky is the limit for this kid. I’ve
to win the Memorial.
had guys tell me before they can’t root
for certain players because of this or
that. If that’s a category you fall into,
I’d suggest tweaking your “rules” a bit
because I don’t think this kid is going anywhere. This is not À uky and
the results back it up. This is win No. 2 in 23 events and his fourth T4
or better in his last seven this season.
28 G o l f P l u s
JULY
2018