Photo from Google Images
The PGA tour was one of the first sports leagues to return to play 13 weeks ago. They have done a fantastic job on and off the course to keep the game on par. The changes to play with no fans on the greens isn’t that bad. While I miss the crowds in the galleries, I love how open the courses are with no fans. No fans on the course has helped.
All eyes have been on Dustin Johnson as he has been dominant! DJ won the Travelers Championship at the end of June. Then he had a roller coaster of highs and oh so closes in August as he finished 2nd in the PGA Championship, won The Northern Trust, 2nd the BMW Championship and 1st in the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup while being ranked the number one golfer in the world. Only one golfer, Collin Morikawa, has beat him outright over 72 holes in the four of the best fields of 2020 (Rahm beat him in a playoff)! Think about that, only one golfer has been able to beat him. It’s flat out phenomenal!
What makes winning the FedEx Cup so special is that for the first time EVER, DJ said he would like to win. DJ is the shy, cool kid that just likes to play golf. He’s just as happy if he plays well and loses as he is when he wins. For DJ to say he would like to win, he’s going to win!
He led all four rounds of the Tour Championship going into round four. He shot three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine. But the back nine, DJ stayed on par with a clutch 21-foot putt on hole #13 to keep a three-stroke lead. Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele were flirting with coming close when DJ was on hole #16 and teed off right into the sand. DJ wedged his way to the green and missed a birdie by an inch. DJ has taken more time to read his putts (maybe too much time) but he played ‘fast putt’ to par hole #17. DJ was ready to win! He just had one more hole to go. I think I was sweating more than him. (Literally, I was running on the treadmill watching him.)
I love DJ win or lose, but no matter how confident I am in him winning, there’s no one else who has had more gut-wrenching losses like DJ. (Remember that 3-putt at Chambers Bay in 2015 to lose the US Open? But then he won the 2016 US Open.)
Back to hole #18. It’s a par 5 and DJ had a 2 stroke lead. He teed-off, the ball stayed to the right and landed in a bunker. DJ shot a layup to get him out of the sand and a short putt away from ending 18 with a birdie and a 3-stroke lead. BOOM! DJ ends the 2019-2020 PGA Tour with a birdie, the FedEx Cup trophy and ranked the #1 golfer in the world.
However, highs and lows can make you or break you. DJ feeds from being unbreakable. He is resilient and he better be the PGA Tour Player of the Year! I’ve never seen DJ so happy about a win and I couldn’t be happier for him! Congratulations, Dustin Johnson on winning the 2020 FedEx Cup for the first time in his 13-year PGA Tour career. This is DJ’s 23rd win, but his highest purse at $15Million!
The 2020-2021 PGA Tour season starts September 7th with the US Open September 14th. Therefore, all eyes will be on DJ!