Dustin Johnson Wins WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Dustin Johnson followed up his fabulous U.S. Open win with another title, claiming his third World Golf Championship trophy at Firestone Country Club.

Dustin Johnson is a winner at Firestone Country Club, and an unexpected one at that.

Going into the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, it looked like we were surely going to see Jason Day win his eleventh PGA Tour event, and fourth in 2016 alone. Day started strong with an eagle on the par-5 second hole and maintained a one shot lead for most of the afternoon.

However, disaster struck on the only other par 5 on the golf course, the 665-yard 16th.

Day hooked his tee shot left, slammed his recovery attempt right and leaked a heroic attempt at the green from the deep rough into the water. It all added up to a double-bogey, killing his chances of winning the tournament.

Day finished in a four-way tie for third with Kevin Chappell, Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth, three shots behind Dustin Johnson.

Jul 3, 2016; Akron, OH, USA; Jason Day of Australia reacts after missing a putt on the fourth green during the final round of the 2016 Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

When asked about the differences between his two recent wins, Johnson responded, “I feel great, I feel like my game is where it has been all year. I just haven’t been putting quite as well as I’d like. The last couple of weeks, I just putted a little better.”

Simple. Just putt a little better, right? That’s all there is to this game.

For a guy that hits the ball as well as DJ, the flat stick has always been the X-factor to his success.

At golf courses like Oakmont and Firestone, ball striking is at a premium. Firestone is long and tight. When it’s firm, you’d better be in the fairway.

DJ hit 57 percent of his fairways this week, far surpassing the field average of 44 percent. He hit smart recovery shots when he missed and was rock-solid around the hole.

Much like DJ’s world class 72nd hole at Oakmont, his 71st at Firestone featured a great approach shot. This time, it was from 158 yards out in thick rough. He knocked it to 16 feet and made the birdie putt, giving him a commanding three-stroke lead going into 18.

Faced with adversity on 18 thanks to a wayward tee shot and poor recovery attempt, DJ looked more poised than ever.

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Aware of the circumstances and his lead, he calmly pitched the ball away from the flag and, more importantly, the bunker protecting it, leaving his ball on the fringe about 45 feet from the hole.

A routine two-putt bogey put the spotlight on Day and playing partner Scott Piercy, pressuring them to birdie the final two holes to force a playoff.

Piercy’s effort came up one shot short, leaving him to finish alone in second place.

Dustin Johnson won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Dustin’s putter is working.

Winning is a habit, and I think it will continue to be DJ’s habit as he flies overseas to take on Royal Troon.

Dustin Johnson is my early favorite to win the Open, and why shouldn’t he be?

Next: Ranking the Holes at the Masters

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