Ongoing week of celebrations for US Open Champion
The freshly-crowned US Open Champion, Dustin Johnson celebrates his 32nd birthday today (22nd June). It’s already been quite a week for the now World Number Three from South Carolina. Just three days ago he walked into the history books of golf as the 116th US Open Champion at Oakmont Country Club. In doing so, he displayed not only his awesome golf talent, which included drives of 330 yards on the final day, but also the mental strength of a true champion by coping with a bizarre rules infringement fiasco.
It had been a frustrating tournament from day one with weather delays causing havoc with start times. On Saturday players were still having to finish off their second rounds playing in three-balls. The greens were super-slick and the rough deep and tough.
Then, on the final day, as the sun shone down in Pennsylvania and everything looked set for an exciting climax to the tournament, the mysterious moving ball incident occurred on the 5th green. Seven holes later, a referee informed Johnson that he may possibly receive a one-shot penalty. The matter would be discussed and decided at the end of his round. Many players would have flipped. In fact, many did. Players such as Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy reacted strongly in Johnson’s favour on Twitter. Yet the champion-to-be took it all in his stride. Quite literally. With that lovely, lazy cowboy walk of his, he just focused on the last seven holes to be played out on the course, one shot at a time. The clubhouse decision and possible penalty was for later. That was his strategy. Stay in the here and now. And it worked.
A life-changing 6-iron at eighteenth
The final day of the US Open is traditionally held on Father’s Day. And so it was in front of millions of golf fans around the world, and under the loving watchful eyes of his fiancée Paulina and two-year old son Tatum, that Dustin Johnson made a class birdie at the final hole for a convincing three-stroke victory which included the bizarre one-shot penalty handed-out at the end of his round. DJ had blasted a life-changing 6-iron into the final green, probably one of the best 6-iron shots of his career, to set-up his birdie and secure his first Major title, his tenth victory on the PGA Tour. Much to the relief of the USGA and the golf fans. Fortunately even when his closing 68 became a 69, Johnson was still without doubt, and without a play-off, the clear winner.
The amiable golfer born in Columbia, who turned professional in 2007, had had a series of excruciating close calls in Majors over the last few years. The 2015 US Open being the most painful when his 12-foot eagle putt for the championship slipped by and he then missed the return for a play-off leaving Jordan Spieth as the outright winner. But that’s all history now.
After all those years of knocking on the door at the Majors, he had now made his entrance. The name ‘Dustin Johnson’ would be engraved on the trophy as winner of the 116th US Open Championship for eternity. And not to forget the handsome winner’s cheque of 1.8 million US dollars. DJ has won his first Major, perhaps the first of many. So how does he feel? His answer was simple: “Awesome!”
Happy Birthday, DJ! Happy Father’s Day! And many congratulations on your first Major!
Wendy Hoad