Dustin Johnson's Disappointing Major Record When Leading After 54 Holes

Dustin Johnson's Disappointing Major Record
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mark Townsend
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published

Dustin Johnson is an exceptional talent, but he has struggled to complete victories when leading after 54 holes

Dustin Johnson's Disappointing Major Record When Leading After 54 Holes

Dustin Johnson has held or shared the 54-hole lead in a major four times and, to date, he is 0-4.

His sole triumph came when he came from three behind at Oakmont, and still suffered a Rules infraction, to get the job done.

2010 US Open - led by three

Dustin Johnson 2010 US Open

This was the ultimate horror show at Pebble Beach. Johnson had played himself into a three-shot lead after efforts of 71-70-66 but it all then fell apart very quickly. He trebled the 2nd and then doubled the 3rd after a heady mix of a short-game breakdown and some wayward driving. There were no birdies all day, six more bogeys and it all added up to an 82.

Come the end of the day he still tied for 5th and, with the enormous benefit of hindsight, a 77 would have got him into a play-off with Graeme McDowell.

2015 US Open - shared lead with Jason Day, Branden Grace and Jordan Spieth

Dustin Johnson 2015 US Open Chambers Bay

Remember Chambers Bay and those ‘broccoli’ greens, well Johnson was -4 after three days thanks to an opening 65. Johnson led over the front nine but then dropped shots on three out of four holes coming home.

Spieth birdied 16 but doubled 17 and a birdie at the last left him at -5, one clear of Louis Oosthuizen.

Johnson birdied the penultimate hole to set up a grandstand finish and, at the par 5, gave himself a 12-foot putt for his first major. Moments later he missed the three-foot coming back and the title was Spieth’s.

2018 US Open - shared lead with Daniel Berger, Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka

Dustin Johnson 2018 US Open Shinnecock Hills

Two rounds in at Shinnecock and Johnson already had a four-shot lead after rounds of 69-67. But then came a seven-over 77 as everyone struggled with the baked greens - this was the day Phil Mickelson did his little on-the-run hockey trick on the 13th green.

The following day he responded with a level-par 70 and was always on the fringes of things but he was eventually undone by Tommy Fleetwood’s brilliant 63 and then Koepka’s gritty 68 as he completed back-to-back US Opens.

2020 PGA Championship - led by one

 

Dustin Johnson 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park

Eight birdies in his third round gave him a one-shot lead at Harding Park and at one point seven players were tied for the lead.

Johnson was level for the day when he chipped in at 16 and birdied the last but he would come up two shots shy as a fearless Collin Morikawa waltzed round in 64 to edge out Paul Casey and Johnson by two.

2020 Masters - leads by four

Dustin Johnson 2020 Masters

Can he get the job done? We will wait and see.

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Mark Townsend
Mark Townsend
Contributing editor

Mark has worked in golf for over 20 years having started off his journalistic life at the Press Association and BBC Sport before moving to Sky Sports where he became their golf editor on skysports.com. He then worked at National Club Golfer and Lady Golfer where he was the deputy editor and he has interviewed many of the leading names in the game, both male and female, ghosted columns for the likes of Robert Rock, Charley Hull and Dame Laura Davies, as well as playing the vast majority of our Top 100 GB&I courses. He loves links golf with a particular love of Royal Dornoch and Kingsbarns. He is now a freelance, also working for the PGA and Robert Rock. Loves tour golf, both men and women and he remains the long-standing owner of an horrific short game. He plays at Moortown with a handicap of 6.

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