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2021 Ryder Cup: Power ranking the top 10 players at Whistling Straits

By Mike Randleman

Ryder Cup mugs which have a list price of $12 at the Ryder Cup Shops at Whistling Straits near Haven, Wis.Mjs She Ryder Cup Shops 26
Ryder Cup mugs which have a list price of $12 at the Ryder Cup Shops at Whistling Straits near Haven, Wis.Mjs She Ryder Cup Shops 26 /
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Sep 3, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dustin Johnson hits from the sand on the 2nd hole during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dustin Johnson hits from the sand on the 2nd hole during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /

Dustin Johnson isn’t playing his best golf in 2021, but he’s somebody who is capable of heating up quickly.

We saw it last year when DJ won the Masters just a few months after posting rounds in the 80s and showing injury concerns.

Johnson kept the momentum going early this year with a win on the European Tour, but stagnated for just one top-10 in his next eight starts.

Fortunately for the Americans, DJ has picked it back up the last couple months. He posted T-8th at The Open, T-10th at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude and ended the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a pair of top-10s.

Johnson will also have good course knowledge in his back pocket this week. He famously contended for the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, only for him to ground his club in a bunker he thought was a waste area. DJ would have gotten into a playoff, but a two-stroke penalty sent him down to T-5th (71-68-67-73).

He couldn’t fully erase the demons at the 2015 PGA Championship, but T-7th (66-73-68-69) reaffirmed that Whistling Straits is a great setup for a bomber like him.

Johnson ranked 21st last season on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee (.361) and was 63rd or higher and gaining strokes in every SG category.

Aggressive play can be rewarded in the Ryder Cup. DJ is 15th in birdie average (4.25).

Johnson is 7-9-0 in the Ryder Cup, although he’s 3-1-0 in singles. Part of that losing record can be attributed to 2018 Le Golf National where he went 1-4-0 on a tight golf course that was not a good course fit.

With more room to maneuver at Whistling Straits, I see DJ flipping the script.

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