• ‘Frustrated’ DJ goes again

    Dustin Johnson
    DJ is back to defend his title

    The Tiger-mania may have overshadowed another near miss at a second Major for World No 1 Dustin Johnson, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

    The 34-year-old American has failed to replicate his PGA TOUR dominance – he is on the other side of 20 tour wins – with just one win at the Major stage – 2016 US Open.

    He finished in the group sharing second at Augusta as Woods’ win grabbed all headlines, and in a way, this obscured the fact that Johnson missed a chance to force a playoff with a 72nd-hole birdie miss.

    ROUND ONE TEE TIMES

    The notoriously difficult Bethpage Black is set to show its teeth this week with heavy rains and cold conditions providing for a long, challenging layout. This may suit the big-hitter as he looks to secure another big win.

    8 SAFFAS AT BETHPAGE

    ‘The course is playing extremely long. It sets up well for me. I feel like I can drive it good around here,’ Johnson said.

    ‘For me, it’s all about driving. I really like this course. But you’ve got to hit the fairways here. The rough is pretty penal. It’s not super deep, but it’s just really thick.’

    A win would help alleviate some of the frustration incurred after running close on golf’s biggest stages without doing enough to win.

    ‘Disappointed, I wouldn’t go with, but a little frustrated sometimes, just because I’ve had quite a few chances and I’ve felt like a few of them I really didn’t do anything,’ he said.

    ‘But that’s just how it is. It’s hard to win majors. If it were easy, a lot of guys would have a lot more than they do. It’s just tough.

    ‘They’re always on tough golf courses, and you’ve got to put four good rounds together. But I feel good coming into this week, and I feel like this is a golf course where I’ve had success and I can play it well, especially in these conditions.’

    Johnson’s has eight top-five finishes across the four Majors.

    DJ forms part of the 7:16pm (SA time) group which includes Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth.

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