Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the third hole during the third round of the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. (Getty)
Dustin Johnson has 11 top-10s in the majors and five top-5s. Although he’s been near the top of the leaderboard, he has yet to win a major.
Could Sunday be his day? It’s a question many golf enthusiasts, and analysts are wondering, especially considering his history of botching final-round finishes.
He’s been called “the best player never to win a major,” a reputation he’s hoping to shake at Oakmont on Sunday.
Johnson is the sixth-ranked player in the world, and has an impressive nine career wins on the PGA Tour, however, he is still in search of capturing that elusive first major title.
Here’s a look back at some of his most impressive finishes, and nightmare finishes at the majors.
Johnson’s Worst Collapses
Dustin Johnson lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay. (Getty)
Johnson finds himself in a somewhat familiar position as he enters the final day of the U.S. Open, near the top of the leaderboard.
“I feel like my game, in those situations,” Johnson told ESPN, “has held up just fine the past few times I’ve been in this situation.”
However, there’s been several previous occasions Johnson has collapsed on the final day of a major. There was Pebble in 2010, Whistling Straits in 2010 and Royal St. George’s in 2011. Johnson had been close before, but never closer to a major victory than at last year’s U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.
Here’s a round-up of finishes, Johnson would like to forget:
2010 U.S. Open: It looked like Johnson was on his way to claim his first major title with a three-stroke lead at Pebble Beach, a course where he’d already won two PGA Tour events. But then the wheels fell off. His day would go on to include a triple bogey on No. 2, a double at the third and a bogey at four and seven. Johnson finished with an 82 and tied for eighth.
2010 PGA Championship: Johnson had a one-shot lead in the final round, but a two-stroke penalty on the final hole of regulation cost Johnson a slot in the playoff during the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Johnson grounded his club in the sand before hitting his shot to the 18th green. The only problem? He was in a bunker. He said later he didn’t realize it was a bunker.
2011 British Open: Johnson appeared to be making a run on the back nine Sunday at Royal St. George’s. That is, until his second shot landed out of bounds on the 14th hole. He made double-bogey on the par-5 14th that cost him the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s, tying for second.
2015 U.S. Open: On the 72nd green at Chambers Bay, two impressive shots left him a 15-footer for eagle to win the U.S. Open. Johnson not only missed that one, but also the three-footer that would have forced a playoff with Jordan Spieth. Just brutal.
2015 Open Championship: Johnson took the lead at St. Andrews with a 65-69 start, but finished 75-75 to end up tied at 49th.
Johnson’s Best Finishes
Dustin Johnson hits his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the 2016 Masters Tournament. (Getty)
While there have been plenty of heart-wrenching finishes, Johnson has shown that he knows how to win. He’s won nine PGA Tour events including at least one in each of his eight years on the tour.
Since his crushing collapse at Chambers Bay, Johnson has recorded another pair of top-10s in majors, giving him 11 top-10s in 28 career majors.
Here’s a look at his most impressive finishes at the majors:
2011 Open Championship: Johnson earned his best finish in a major championship in July at the 2011 Open Championship in England. He finished in a tie for second place at Royal St George’s, alongside fellow American Phil Mickelson, three strokes behind champion Darren Clarke. Johnson’s first three rounds of 70-68-68 left him one stroke behind Clarke and for most of Sunday’s round Johnson managed to keep up with him.
2015 PGA Championship: Johnson tied for seventh in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits after opening the final round with a quadruple bogey. Although he wasn’t able to catch the leaders, he showed his ability to calm down after a horrible start, finishing tied for seventh.
2015 Masters Tournament: Johnson shot 73 in the third round and closed with 69 to tie for sixth. He became the first player in tournament history to make three eagles in one round. It came in the second round when he eagled Nos. 2, 8 and 15, all par-5s.
2016 Masters Tournament: He tied for fourth in the Masters in April while carding five birdies between the sixth and 15th holes in a final round of 71, his best finish in seven appearances.
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Dustin Johnson’s Best Finishes & Worst Collapses at Majors