2021 Players Championship: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Sawgrass

There aren’t many events Dustin Johnson has regularly played and not won. The Players Championship is one of them, though DJ is trending in the right direction.

He missed the cut at his TPC Sawgrass debut in 2008. He hasn’t MC’d since, though he did withdraw in 2013. It took until 2019 to get his first top-five when rounds of 69-68-69-69 netted him T-5th. Johnson hit 76.39% of greens in regulation and putted well except for in the final round.

It was, however, his third straight top-20 and fourth straight top-30.

“This golf course is tough,” Johnson was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel in 2017. “You’ve got to have all facets of your game working if you want to contend.”

Johnson has had all facets working of late to position him comfortably in the No. 1 ranking in the world.

He’s already a winner in 2021 at the European Tour’s Saudi International. In four starts this calendar year, he’s also got a T-11th at the Tournament of Champions (which he did no prep for) and a T8th at the Genesis Invitational.

Finishing T-54th at the WGC-Workday Championship snapped a 12-event top-12 streak dating back to July.

The former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer ranks second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green (1.883). Johnson’s been particularly strong with his irons, coming in at third in SG approach (1.12). His short game is also in the top 10 (.562, 9th).

I’m not sure this is the week to burn DJ in your one-and-done leagues, but the 36-year-old is trending toward eventually winning his first Players Championship at some point in his hall of fame career.

Why not now?