CARMEL, Ind. (AP) – Dustin Johnson walked down a corridor of fans, trying to touch the dozens of outstretched hands on both sides until he extended both arms into a massive wing span to accommodate as many as he could. But he couldn’t quite make himself do it.
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Dustin Johnson knows as well as anyone that no matter how good he is and how well he plays, something can always go wrong in golf. “I just think, yeah, it’s something that’s really incredible to watch”.
Paul Casey also closed with a 67 and it still wasn’t enough. “I played really solid all week”. “And that would have been pretty nice”. The guy who won the tournament didn’t have a magical week.
The US Open champion birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th before a further gain at the par-five 18th saw him take a comfortable lead over England’s Paul Casey on 18 under at Crooked Stick.
Sunday’s results determined the 30-man field for the Tour Championship.
The consolation for Casey, along with $1,836,000 for his two runner-up finishes, was the No. 5 seed at the Tour Championship in two weeks.
“It was nothing to get upset about; it was the third hole of the day”, said Johnson. The back got better, and Day went on to win.
Then came hole 6. When Casey rolled in an eagle from 25 feet at the par-5 15 hole, it put the final result in some doubt.
And so it went.
“I think (making the Tour Championship) is a huge accomplishment for any player, including the top five or 10 players in the world”, he said. I’m just not totally sure that’s going to happen like it did a year ago.
“I hit a couple squirrelly shots there”, Johnson said.
Yes, power is now accompanied by finesse, a lethal combination in the hands of maybe the most athletic player in golf, who already was No. 2 in the World and is closing quickly on No. 1, Jason Day.
Johnson took home the title at the BMW Champioship with a final score of 23-under-par.
Rory McIlroy, who won the Deutsche Bank Championship, is in sixth, while defending FedEx Cup champion Jordan Spieth is seventh.
Casey, a 13-time European Tour victor who was runner-up to Rory McIlroy last week, won his only US PGA title at the 2009 Houston Open but was level with Johnson with 15 holes to play.
“(Johnson) will be the hardest one to beat on this course because he’s a long hitter and this golf course rewards long hitters”, Kent Frandsen, co-chair of the BMW predicted before the start of the tournament.
Very cool! Peyton Manning’s letter to Crooked Stick staff after persevering through the weather at @BMWchamps!
Johnson made 24 birdies and three eagles throughout the week and jumped to the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings.
As Johnson finished the day, there was also talk of Player of the Year honors.
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“Winning the US Open was definitely a kick start”, he continued.
