World No. 2 Dustin Johnson has yet to win a PGA Tour event this season, but he feels like his game is rounding into form heading into The Northern Trust as the defending champion.
His win in New Jersey one year ago kicked off an outstanding finish capped by Johnson claiming the Tour Championship. To put the icing on top, Johnson won the Masters two months later, his first green jacket.
That win at Augusta National was also his last victory.
On Wednesday, Johnson was asked what he would have said a year ago if he’d be winless on Tour in 2021.
“I would have said I was probably struggling,” Johnson said.
Regardless of his inconsistent play of late, including missing the cut at the 3M Open last month, Johnson is right where he was last year — 17th in the FedExCup rankings vs. 15th in 2020.
“Obviously, last year was a little bit different because a lot of golf tournaments leading right up into the playoffs,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I feel like the game is starting to round into form. I’m starting to in the last couple of events, definitely played a little bit better, played a little bit — it’s a lot closer to what it was last year.”
Johnson responded with a T10 at the WGC-St. Jude Invitational two weeks ago.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot. Obviously, need a good couple of weeks here, first and foremost here at the Northern Trust, and then next week at the BMW just to improve my position going into Atlanta,” Johnson said.
After winning The Northern Trust in 2020, Johnson placed second at the BMW Championship before winning again at East Lake. He said Wednesday he didn’t see it coming.
“No, but I don’t look that far ahead, so I would have never predicted it. I was playing well, so it wasn’t a surprise because I felt like I was playing good coming into it,” Johnson said. “I was playing really good golf. … I mean, definitely couldn’t have predicted that, but obviously I felt really good about the game.”
–Field Level Media