Two weeks removed from his first major victory at the US Open, Dustin Johnson once again crushed the field with his driver to win his 3rd WGC title. Johnson joined Tiger Woods as the only players to capture three of the four World Golf Championships.
Johnson always seems to project a certain calmness about him. Whether he’s driving it 350, or celebrating after holing a 10-footer, the 32-year old is always in a world of his own. It seems as if he’s simply playing a round with his friends. We’re probably a million times more nervous over 3-footers than he ever is, on or off the course.
At one point yesterday, Johnson was five shots behind leader Jason Day, yet he pounded his driver one after another, oblivious to the fact that he’s chasing the World’s No. 1 player.
Firestone was playing as tough as it ever has and DJ made it look way too easy.
If you’ve watched Johnson closely over last couple of weeks, you would’ve noticed that he’s hitting a lot of fades. That’s a switch the new World’s No. 2 player made last year.
Johnson said, “I’ve been drawing it pretty much my whole career on Tour, but… I’ve been fading it all year, this year. I feel like I hit a lot more fairways. Maybe the stats don’t say it, but I feel like I do, so I think that’s the most important thing. I just don’t feel like my misses are as bad.”
The change in his ball flight seems to be working wonders for him. He was second in driving distance and fourth in driving accuracy this week. The combination is lethal.
Notable drives for Dustin Johnson during Round 1:
372 yards
366 yards
348 yards
342 yardsRound average: 347 yards pic.twitter.com/vULhPOkkMz
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2016
Add to that, that he ranked 8th in Strokes Gained: Putting, and you pretty much have the perfect golfer.
Johnson uses a TaylorMade M1 10.5 degrees Driver, with a 45.75-inch Fujikura Speeder Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec 661X shaft and the two adjustable sole weights set in the neutral position. He was among the first players to switch to the M1 Driver when it was made available to Tour Players at the 2015 BMW Championship.
Coincidentally, Jason Day won the BMW, that week, using the M1. In fact Day used the M1 for about five months before switching to the M2 Driver at Pebble Beach. He switched back to the M1 at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship and has used it since then.
The M1 and the M1 430 drivers both retail at $499.99.
Dustin Johnson is entering the British Open as the clear favorite. Don’t be surprised if you seem him wearing the same outfit, holding another trophy two Sundays from now.
SOURCES: PGA TOUR | GETTY IMAGES | TAYLORMADE GOLF
