AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Power ranking the top ten pros

Dustin Johnson makes the long trip back to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia, but a little jet lag won’t keep him from the No. 1 spot this week.

For one, DJ is coming off an impressive two-shot win at the inaugural Saudi International on the European Tour against a solid field. Johnson fired 68-61-65-67 to top Haotong Li.

Now he’s back to the PGA Tour where he’s looking to make amends from a disappointing final round at last year’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Johnson was close to winning the event for the third time but was upset by Ted Potter Jr. Still, DJ still finished in a solid runner-up tie, and has the best resume of any player at Pebble. Not exactly the type of guy you should find yourself betting against.

The 34-year-old won back to back in 2009-10 and has eight top-10s in 11 starts playing here every year since 2008. Johnson also played very well for 54 holes at the 2010 U.S. Open before a Sunday collapse.

“Yeah, I really like the golf course. I think I play it very well,” Johnson said Sunday. “I know it very well. So yeah, I would definitely like to give it another go this year and hopefully if I’m in that situation again, I can perform a little better.”

Johnson’s win in the Middle East was his first worldwide since July, but he’s still been consistent enough to stay ranked between first and third.

Johnson has been jet-setting more than usual so far this year, but is none the worse for wear. In 2019, DJ has finished T4 at the Tournament of Champions, and T16 a couple weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

His PGA Tour stats from 2017-18 ranked him fifth in strokes gained approaching the green and in or near the top 50 in approaches between 50-175 yards. This type of improvement with his short clubs are part of the reason why he went from a consistent Tour winner to one of golf’s best. If he has enough gas in the tank, Johnson could become a 20-time PGA Tour winner on Sunday.