WATCH: Dustin Johnson Loses Ground After Quadruple-Bogey 8 At US Open

The 2016 US Open champion suffered a major setback on the par-4 second at Los Angeles Country Club

Dustin Johnson of the United States reacts to his missed putt for birdie on the first green during the second round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After a day of unusually low scoring on Thursday at the 2023 US Open, there have already been signs the USGA and Los Angeles Country Club are biting back. And the first player to really come unstuck was two-time Major winner Dustin Johnson.

DJ looked back to something near his best on day one as he mixed seven birdies with just a single dropped shot to sit on six-under and just two behind Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele after 18 holes.

Being on the opposite side of the draw, Johnson then had a chance to pass the leaders early on Friday but instead lost serious ground after having a nightmare on the long, 490-yard par-4 second.

The 2016 US Open champion found the bunker off the tee and then made a rookie error in hitting his recovery shot into the thick bermuda rough. Over his third, Sky Sports commentator Henni Koyack wisely warned of "compounding errors" with the treacherous barranca guarding the green short, but things just went from bad to worse for Johnson.

He found the barranca and had such a bad lie he was forced to take a penalty drop, before carelessly hitting his short fifth shot over the green and failing to get up-and-down. When all was said and done, it was a quadruple-bogey eight for the American that dropped him from six-under to two-under and seven behind Wyndham Clark.

Here's how it all played out:

WATCH: Johnson's nightmare quad

It was a reminder, as if it was needed, that this game will never be mastered and that even the best players in the world can be made to look foolish. To his credit, Johnson recovered with a birdie at the par-5 eighth as he sets about repairing the damage and putting himself in position to land a third Major over the weekend in LA. 

Andrew Wright
Freelance News Writer

A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he decided to go freelance and now covers a variety of topics for Golf Monthly. 

Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.

As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.

What's in Andy's bag?

Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)

Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)

Irons: Mizuno mp32 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)

Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x