If not quite Groundhog Day, for Dustin Johnson his return to Oakmont Country Club on the outskirts of Pittsburgh would seem like a case of deja vu. On this first official day of practice for the US Open, a hint of a storm hung in the air and, with cries of unfairness coming from the locker room about the length of the rough, five inches in places, the greenkeeping mowers got to trimming the grass back ever so slightly.
Sound familiar? It should. When DJ got to spinning the tunes en route to his win here in 2016, the build-up featured rainy practice days which only served to add to the difficulty of escaping that gnarly, thick rough when a premium was placed on driving accuracy as much as length off the tee.
Nine years on and Johnson is back to a course he considers the hardest to found anywhere.
“The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder ... I’ve played some hard courses, but it all depends on the conditions. This one’s hard no matter what: soft, firm, windy, no wind,” remarked Johnson, yet with sufficient fond memories of that breakthrough Major win to know that being a past winner at a course provides positivity and an edge, adding: “I love the golf course!”
Of course, much has changed in Johnson’s world since he lifted that US Open trophy. The professional golf world has fractured and yet to heal since the advent of LIV Golf and, as one of those who jumped ship for a bottomless pit of greenbacks, Johnson has been very much at the heart of the friction.
On LIV, his playing schedule is vastly reduced, even if his form has blown hot and cold. He missed the cut in both the Masters and the US PGA and, although the world rankings are stacked against those primarily competing on LIV, the stark reality is that the former world number one is positioned at 884th in the latest rankings (one behind Japan Tour player Hirotaro Naito and one ahead of Korn Ferry Tour player Chris Baker).
Johnson, though, would appear immune to such a fall in grace. The rankings, if you will, have him in false territory. He finished tied-10th in the LIV Virginia event that finished in Washington DC on Sunday (won by Joaquin Niemann with former US Open champion Graeme McDowell second, the Northern Irishman unfortunately absent this week with his exemption expired) and, truthfully, there is perhaps more of a pep in his step than recent results deserve.
“I feel like my game’s been really close. I haven’t really got a lot out of it. It was definitely nice to have a nice finish last week. I played good every day [but] you know, still kind of giving away some shots. I need to clean that up a little bit.
“But I played really solid every day, hit it nice, gave myself a lot of opportunities. Just still kind of gave some shots away each round that you can’t afford to do at a golf course like this.
“It was nice to finally see the game progress a little bit. I know my score didn’t reflect it at the PGA, but I actually played way better than the score. I just struggled a little bit on the greens. Well, maybe that’s an understatement. I struggled really bad on the greens ... just making some mistakes that you shouldn’t make, whether short game or putting. The game is definitely in a lot better shape than it was a few months ago.”
Johnson had only been back once since his win in 2016 before coming back again for the championship’s return to the iconic venue. That was when he came back to accept honorary membership of the club. “I’m a proud member of Oakmont,” he insisted, then joking: “I’m probably their favourite member because I never come.”
Johnson is back to the scene of his triumph in a changed golfing world, his win back then finally delivering on all of his promise. To repeat the win would, this time, given his form, be an upset.
Not that DJ would see it that way. “Golf is a strange sport. I don’t feel like I’ve slipped any. My scores haven’t reflected, but it is a really fine line. I remember a few years ago, I missed two cuts in a row. I think I shot 80-80, and then I won the next week.
“For me it’s always really close to being good, but just getting back there and keeping it consistent which over the last couple months I’m starting to see a lot of patterns and the game feels like it’s coming back into good form,” he said, believing every word.
