Dustin Johnson took a first step toward getting back to his old self, making birdie on three of his last six holes to win the LIV Golf Las Vegas event Saturday by a shot over fellow Americans Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein.
Last year, Johnson won once in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and finished fifth in the LIV Golf individual points race after claiming the individual title handily in LIV’s short inaugural season. He didn’t feature prominently in any of the four 2023 major championships as his world ranking plummeted outside the top 200 without official OWGR points available for LIV events.
“Yeah, last year I did not play very well. But also didn’t … it kind of goes with how much effort I put into it, too. I obviously could have worked a lot harder than I did,” Johnson conceded Saturday as LIV added to the festivities on Super Bowl LVIII weekend in Las Vegas. “This year I’ve got a little more drive and determination because I don’t enjoy not playing well. I enjoy playing well. I enjoy being up here talking to you guys after the week is over, and I really enjoy holding up the trophies at the end of the week.”
Tied with Uihlein and Matthew Wolff on 11-under with holes running out, Johnson knew his best birdie opportunity under the conditions was Las Vegas Country Club’s 443-yard par-4 17th. He buried a 15-footer for birdie to carry a two-shot lead to 18 as Uihlein and Wolff each bogeyed the 16th hole behind him.
“Yeah, last year I did not play very well. But also didn’t … it kind of goes with how much effort I put into it, too. I obviously could have worked a lot harder than I did."
Dustin Johnson
The putting has been the big difference for Johnson to kick off his 2024 with a victory after his fifth-place finish the week before in Mayakoba, Mexico.
“I think that's kind of the biggest thing from last year,” he said. “I was struggling with the putter a lot, and then this year the first two events I've putted quite nicely, just making all the putts I need to make. Like the one on 17 obviously was a clutch putt that I needed to make there if I wanted to take a one-shot lead. So, the putter has been very nice to me here for the first two weeks.”
Sharing the 36-hole lead with Bryson DeChambeau and joined by Jon Rahm in the final threesome on Saturday as they faced trying cold and windy conditions at LVCC, Johnson understood the challenge he faced.
“A lot of really good players were right around the lead,” he said. “I knew I was going to have to play well if I wanted to win.”
DeChambeau faded with a 4-over back nine while Rahm once again made two late bogeys to scuttle his chances. Gooch, a three-time LIV winner last season, charged with three birdies in his last five holes but came up short.
Wolff, who finished 30th or worse in nine of 14 starts last season and got traded from his former Smash team after repeated criticism from captain Brooks Koepka, contended until two late bogeys dropped him to 10-under, two shots back in sole fourth place. His new Bubba Watson-captained RangeGoats team dueled with his former mates until Gooch’s late run helped Smash pull away for a seven-shot team win over Johnson’s 4Aces.
“Man, it was good,” Wolff said. “I felt like finally my game has really come together. I'm hitting it a lot better. I feel like I'm in a much better spot, not only with my game but also mentally. I think I'm putting a little bit less pressure on myself, and that's kudos to Bubba and the team and being really supportive and just enjoying our time out here.
“I definitely I don't want to say gave it away but made a couple mistakes coming in, but haven't been in this situation too much in the past couple years, so I think the more I can be in a situation, the more I'll learn, and I know eventually I'll get it done, but I don't know when that time is going to come, but I can't force it.”
Scott Michaux