Dustin Johnson shot a seven-over 77 in the second round of the U.S. Open, falling from title contention after a back-nine 41. Despite a damaging five-hole stretch, his opening-round 66 was strong enough for him to make the cut at three-over par.
Through 28 holes, Johnson was just one shot from the lead and appeared to be finding the form that once made him a dominant force in major championships. The round deteriorated quickly, starting with a double-bogey on the 11th hole. Johnson, however, maintained that the score did not reflect his performance. “I still feel like I’m swinging good,” he said. He pointed to difficult conditions as a primary factor. “I hit good shots coming in … but it’s tough. The wind today was switching all over the place. It was hard to get a good bead on it. Swinging really well and rolling it good.”
The round’s defining moment came at the par-4 15th, where he recorded a quadruple-bogey 8. After finding a greenside bunker with his second shot, a series of unlucky breaks with rocks in the sand led to three attempts to get his ball onto the putting surface. Johnson explained the initial shot was intentional. “I actually hit it to where I wanted to,” he said, noting the front-right bunker was the easiest place to try and save par from. Bad luck, not poor execution, was his assessment of the situation.
This collapse continues a difficult run in major championships for Johnson, who has not recorded a top-20 finish in his last 11 major starts. With his 10-year exemption for winning the 2016 U.S. Open expiring this year, his path back to future majors is not guaranteed. Still, Johnson insists his game is in a good place. “The game feels really good. Obviously even through 10 holes I was even par today. I get it if I hit terrible shots, but I really didn’t hit a bad shot.” He will play the weekend, though he starts well behind the leaders.
