Men's Golf

The green jacket has been a long time coming for Dustin Johnson.

The world's top-ranked golfer finished the first Masters victory of his career with a four-under 68 to bring his total to 20 under par. He was five strokes clear of Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im for his second major title, and Cameron Morfit of PGATour.com noted the 20-under mark broke the Masters record of 18 under.

Tiger Woods, who presented Johnson with the green jacket as last year's winner, and Jordan Spieth held the previous record.

"Well, I proved that I can get it done on Sunday with the lead at a major, especially in tough conditions," Johnson said in a post-round interview with CBS's Amanda Balionis (h/t Morfit). "... There were doubts in my mind, just because I had been there. I'm in this position a lot of times. Like when am I going to have the lead and finish off the golf tournament or finish off a major? For me, it definitely proved that I can do it."

A dream come true. I’ll remember this day at @TheMasters for the rest of my life. #themasters pic.twitter.com/jUCYsXFCIG

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) November 15, 2020

That Johnson shed his final-round struggles and delivered under the Sunday pressure was the biggest takeaway of the entire tournament.

As Morfit explained, he failed to win his previous four majors in which he possessed at least a share of the 54-hole lead. There has been a collapse at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and much of his career was defined by what could have been on the major stage.

No longer.

"I always dreamed of having one of those," Johnson said of a green jacket, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "Now I got one."

There wasn't much drama, as he cruised to victory down the stretch. Still, he was understandably feeling the pressure as he looked to finish the biggest win of his career.

"I was nervous all day," he said, per Paul Gittings of CNN. "I could feel it. The Masters to me is the biggest tournament, it's the one I wanted to win the most. I'm just very proud of the way I handled myself and the way I finished off the golf tournament."

Having arguably the greatest golfer in history give him the green jacket made it all the more memorable.

"Honestly, it still feels like a dream," Johnson said, per Gittings. "As a kid, dreaming about winning and having Tiger put the green jacket on you, it still seems like it's a dream, but I'm here and what a great feeling it is and I couldn't be more excited."

Another takeaway involved Woods, as his days of winning the Masters may be in the rearview mirror.

He turns 45 years old next month and has struggled of late, missing the cut at the U.S. Open and tying for 72nd at the Zozo Championship. The last time he finished better than a tie for 37th place was in January's Farmers Insurance Open.

Woods shot a four-over 76 in Sunday's round and looked like a weekend hacker with a 10 on the par-three 12th. Steve DiMeglio of Golfweek noted it was the highest score on a single hole in Woods' PGA Tour career.

"I committed to the wrong wind," Woods said, per DiMeglio. "From there I hit a lot more shots and had a lot more experiences there in Rae's Creek. This sport is awfully lonely sometimes. You have to fight it. No one is going to bring you off the mound or call in a sub. That's what makes this game so unique and so difficult mentally. We’ve all been there. Unfortunately I've been there and you just have to turn around and figure out the next shot, and I was able to do that coming home."

The one silver lining for the 15-time major winner was the fact that he birdied his final four holes.

Perhaps he can parlay that into some momentum in the quicker-than-usual turnaround before the next Masters in April.

Tiger Woods finished the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks, California, the way he started it—playing poorly.

Woods shot a two-over 74 in Sunday's final round to finish one under for the tournament, putting him in a tie for 72nd at the time of publication. It was reminiscent of his first round on Thursday, when he posted a four-over 76.

He sandwiched two solid rounds on Friday (66) and Saturday (71) with disappointing outings. Had there been a cut at the Zozo Championship, he would have been in serious danger of missing it.

Woods' Sunday performance was about as uneven as the rest of his tournament, with four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. He averaged 287.0 yards of driving distance, 61.5 percent driving accuracy, 61.1 percent of greens in regulation and minus-0.885 strokes putting, per PGATour.com.

In other words, Woods looks a long way off from defending his Masters title next month. Maybe he'll use the Vivint Houston Open as another warm-up before Augusta. After this weekend's showing, he probably needs it.

Tiger said he'll decide "in the next few days" whether he'll play Houston Open. Said he won't wait around either way on that decision like he has with some commitments in the past. 👀👀👀

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) October 25, 2020

While Sunday wasn't Woods' best day, we did get the chance to see him paired up with Phil Mickelson once more.

This group has combined for 127 PGA TOUR wins.

🏆 @TigerWoods (82)
🏆 @PhilMickelson (44)
🏆 @aLongShot (1) https://t.co/x7frh5HhaA pic.twitter.com/1KSGdOgICW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 25, 2020

It was the 38th time that Woods and Mickelson have been in the same group, per Justin Ray of the 15th Club. Mickelson had an even worse day and tournament than Woods, shooting a six-over 78 to finish three over for the tournament, putting him in 76th place.

Woods and Mickelson are legends. Sometimes, legends have bad rounds. Both players will be hoping to turn things around in a big way before the Masters.

It's safe to say Tiger Woods will not be repeating his Zozo Championship victory from a year ago. 

Woods shot a one-under 71 to go into the clubhouse at three-under overall in a tie for 68th place, 16 strokes behind leader Justin Thomas.

A day after turning in his best round of the 2020 calendar year, Woods could not find luck with his putter. He hit 69.2 percent of his fairways and 72.2 of his greens in regulation but missed several mid-range putts that could have given him a stronger round.

Scores remain low for the field at large at Sherwood Country Club, with nearly half of the field at 10 under or better. This would have been a perfect tournament for Woods to build momentum into next month's Masters Tournament, but he's not been able to get himself together in two of the three rounds.

His opening-round 76 was tied for the second worst of any player in the entire event, and Saturday's scuffle to 71 will be in the bottom half once leaders get done with their day.

Woods only carded two bogeys against three birdies but parred 13 times, which is not good enough of a performance on a course playing into the players' hands. He missed four birdie putts within 16 feet, and while none of those were necessarily easy makes, they're ones a large sect of the field have drained as the weekend progresses. 

While the putter will be his focus, Woods will need to tighten his irons to get himself in a better position for birdie rather than two-putts. 

Tiger will have to find a rhythm to his game in the final round Sunday to have any positives to take from this event entering the Masters.

Tiger Woods will be making an appearance before November's Masters.

The veteran golfer confirmed Wednesday that he would be defending his title at the Zozo Championship, per Bob Harig of ESPN. The event is traditionally held in Japan but will instead take place in Thousand Oaks, California, on Oct. 22-25.

"It's disappointing we will not be able to play in Japan this year, but Sherwood Country Club will be a great backdrop for what I know will be a great championship," Woods said.

It will be a nice prep event for Woods ahead of the Masters following his disappointing performance at the U.S. Open, where he failed to make the cut, finishing 10 over par.

Woods was frustrated, to say the least, after his poor showing at Winged Foot, per Ben Everill of PGATour.com:

"It's frustrating that I'm not going to be here for the weekend and be able to compete for this great championship. It feels like the way the golf course is changing, is turning, that anybody who makes the cut has the opportunity to win this championship. I didn't get myself that opportunity.

"Physically it was frustrating that I didn't drive the ball as well as I needed to. Iron play was pretty much the way it has been. It's been good, and I finally putted well. But on this golf course it's imperative that you hit fairways, and I did not do that."

In his five events since golf restarted over the summer after the PGA Tour suspended the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his top finish was 37th at the PGA Championship.

Woods is the defending Masters champion as well, however, and will be expected to play well at Augusta National, where he's won five green jackets. He isn't trending the right way at the moment, but a strong showing at the Zozo Championship could help him reverse course.

At the notorious Winged Foot Golf Club, emotions got the better of Danny Lee during the third round of the U.S. Open. Now, the New Zealand golf pro has issued an apology.

The 30-year-old missed a four-foot putt for par on the 18th hole, and then ensued on a journey that saw six more putts before he finished with a quintuple bogey and a spot at the bottom of the leaderboard. An hour and a half later, he withdrew from the tournament, citing a wrist injury.

Danny Lee had an adventure on the 18th green...

First putt from 4'
Second putt from 5'7"
Third putt from 5'10"
Fourth putt from 6'11"
Fifth putt from 3'9"
Sixth putt from 7'7"

That's a six-putt from four feet to card a quintuple bogey. pic.twitter.com/eKEusdxZhG

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) September 19, 2020

"I apologize for my poor actions at us open last week," Lee wrote in an image posted to Twitter. "It was very unprofessional and foolish. obviously hurt lots of my fans and followers and my Sponsors out there... my frustration took over me and combined with injury I had to fight with it for all week. Still just an excuse."

pic.twitter.com/liZZsTppG5

— Danny Lee (@dannygolf72) September 22, 2020

Lee certainly isn't the only player to melt down under pressure at the U.S. Open—legend Phil Mickelson was nearly disqualified in 2018. Maybe it's not the worst path for Lee to follow. 

Bryson DeChambeau's family may not have been able to join him in Mamaroneck, New York, for the 2020 U.S. Open, but there was absolutely no way they'd miss out on a chance to celebrate his win with him.

Even if DeChambeau wasn't expecting it.

It doesn't get sweeter than sharing a victory with loved ones ❤️️

A moment they'll never forget. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/n4oEEd20Bf

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 20, 2020

As the 27-year-old walked around the clubhouse grounds at Winged Foot Golf Club, he was shocked to stroll by a screen that had his parents streaming live on a video call. The emotion of the surprise overtook DeChambeau as he glanced at his cheering parents and immediately attempted to stop himself from tearing up.

"Hey, Mom and Dad," a choked-up DeChambeau said. "I did it!"

No fans were present at the tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning DeChambeau had to celebrate his first major tournament victory by himself.

Given the way DeChambeau played this week, it won't be the last time he gets to enjoy a major victory.

Bryson DeChambeau is leaving Mamaroneck, New York, on Sunday as the newest U.S. Open champion and the winner of a $2.25 million payday.

DeChambeau tamed a Winged Foot Golf Club course that knocked out some of the best golfers in the world before the weekend truly began.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa and defending champion Gary Woodland all missed the cut at six over par Friday as DeChambeau managed to continually go low on a course that saw all but two players in the 144-person field finish over par.

DeChambeau (six under) won by six strokes. He fended off 21-year-old Matthew Wolff (even par) on Sunday to grab the biggest share of a $12.5 million purse.

Here's a look at the biggest money-earners from the major tournament.

     

U.S. Open Top-10 Payout

1. Bryson DeChambeau (-6), $2,250,000

2. Matthew Wolff (E), $1,350,000

3. Louis Oosthuizen (+2), $830,466

4. Harris English (+3), $582,175

5. Xander Schauffele (+4), $484,896

T6. Dustin Johnson (+5), $429,951

T6. Will Zalatoris (+5), $429,951

T8. Tony Finau (+6), $347,157

T8. Justin Thomas (+6), $347,157

T8. Webb Simpson (+6), $347,157

T8. Zach Johnson (+6), $347,157

T8. Rory McIlroy (+6), $347,157

Payouts via Kyle Boone of CBSSports.com.

Wolff entered Sunday with a two-stroke lead over DeChambeau only to see it begin disappearing early on the front nine. Bogeys on holes No. 3, 5 and 8 looked like they'd be too much to overcome until an eagle on No. 9 appeared to rescue him.

Unfortunately for Wolff, DeChambeau also found an eagle at the same hole, helping him move to two under heading to the back nine as Wolff made the turn at one over.

A flawless second half of the day kept DeChambeau in control as he made one birdie and eight pars over the final nine holes of the weekend.

One year after finishing the U.S. Open in a tie for 35th, the 27-year-old from California captured his first major tournament title and the massive check that comes with it.

Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, surged back into the top 10 on Sunday with a round of 70 to finish in a tie for sixth to guarantee himself more than $400,000 in winnings. After entering the major as one of the favorites at Winged Foot, Johnson's first-round 73 had him playing from behind for most of the weekend.

Harris English took fourth place, earning his best finish at the U.S. Open by far after previously coming in a tie for 37th in 2016.

The final round of the 2020 U.S. Open should produce some of the most thrilling—and frustrating—play of any major this season. 

Winged Foot Golf Club already saw Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Speith and defending champion Gary Woodland miss the cut. Now it's up to a group of younger challengers to seize the moment. Whoever does will have a pretty large paycheck waiting for him on the 18th green. 

Here's a breakdown of the $12.5 million purse up for grabs and who stands to earn the most money on Sunday if the leaderboard holds.

     

U.S. Open Top 10 Payouts

1. Matthew Wolff (-5), $2,250,000

2. Bryson DeChambeau (-3), $1,350,000

3. Louis Oosthuizen (-1), $830,466

T4. Hideki Matsuyama (E), $499,007

T4. Xander Schauffele (E), $499,007

T4. Harris English (E), $499,007

7. Rory McIlroy (+1), $387,617

T8. Zach Johnson (+2), $316,646

T8. Viktor Hovland (+2), $316,646

T8. Rafa Cabrera Bello (+2), $316,646

Players who finish tied on the leaderboard after four rounds of play will have the payout totals added then divided by the number of players tied. 

After Saturday, Matthew Wolff and Bryson DeChambeau shouldn't have to worry about splitting any cash—even if it wasn't the prettiest round.

Wolff found just two fairways at Winged Foot Golf Club on Saturday and hit 67 percent of his greens in regulation. He's sitting atop the leaderboard at the 2020 U.S. Open regardless. 

So difficult is the course in Mamaroneck, New York, that this weekend's major will be determined less by who can play a mistake-free round than who can recover from a wayward shot. 

Both Wolff and DeChambeau proved adept there in Round 3. Despite his struggles off the tee, Wolff finished with six birdies and one bogey while DeChambeau shot an even 70 thanks to a bogey on No. 18. Both fared better than Patrick Reed, who entered the day in first place and finished outside the top 10. 

Reed's round of 77 was his worst score of the weekend. After making it through the front nine at one-under par, he completely fell apart on the back stretch with six bogeys and one double bogey. 

He'll look to redeem himself on Sunday when he takes the course at 12:13 p.m. ET in a pairing with Thomas Pieters. 

Wolff and DeChambeau are paired up for the final group at 1:30 p.m. ET. 

Mamaroneck, New York's Winged Foot Golf Club featured U.S. Open carnage at its finest as Bubba Watson, Hikdei Matsuyama and Bryson DeChambeau were the only two golfers to finish under par in the 143-golfer field on Friday.

Only six players enter Saturday under par after a windy Friday, penal rough and puzzling greens created a difficult test of golf.

It hasn't been so hard for a few pros, namely tournament leader Patrick Reed, who followed up his four-under first round with an even-par second round. He leads the tournament at four-under, good enough for a one-shot edge over Bryson DeChambeau.

A group of golfers are within striking distance despite Friday's conditions, with 11 players at even-par or better.

Here's a look at the top 11 as well as the tournament's three most prominent storylines after Friday's play.

    

Scoreboard

1. Patrick Reed: -4

2. Bryson DeChambeau: -3

T3. Rafael Cabrera Bello: -2

T3. Harris English: -2

T3. Justin Thomas: -2

6. Jason Kokrak: -1

T7. Thomas Pieters: E

T7. Xander Schauffele: E

T7. Matthew Wolff: E

T7. Brendan Todd: E

T7. Hideki Matsuyama: E

Notables: Bubba Watson (+1), Jon Rahm (+1), Dustin Johnson (+3), Rickie Fowler (+6), Jason Day (+6), Collin Morikawa (+7), Gary Woodland (+8), Justin Rose (+10), Tiger Woods (+10), Henrik Stenson (+11), Phil Mickelson (+13)

Cut: +6

Entire Scoreboard: U.S. Open website

      

Reed, DeChambeau Excel for Second Straight Day

Reed had an adventurous second round with five birdies and five bogeys, but he ended on a high note despite finding the greenside bunker with his second shot at the par-five ninth. However, Reed launched a perfect bunker shot for an easy 5'7" birdie.

Reed has made all the right moves so far, perhaps none better than his hole in one the day before.

Captain A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶. Captain Ace!@PReedGolf with the first hole-in-one in the 120th #USOpen. pic.twitter.com/gV5dJZ6OrF

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) September 17, 2020

The flat stick provided DeChambeau with a little luck, like when he knocked home a 40-footer off the green for a birdie at No. 16.

GOOD 3 INDEED!

@b_dechambeau with a smart play at the 16th. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Pn9fXfoqso

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) September 18, 2020

He also sunk a 33-footer for a birdie at No. 3:

33 feet at the 3rd hole!

@b_dechambeau gets into red numbers. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/4iPosNqb1Y

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) September 18, 2020

DeChambeau's shot of the day happened on his last hole at the par-five ninth, when he stuck this approach to within 6'6".

First 🦅 at the 9th by @b_dechambeau to finish up his round at 3 under. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/w6kX8TDeuD

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) September 18, 2020

After an eagle putt, DeChambeau found himself at three-under, which ended up being good enough for the co-lead. Reed and DeChambeau are the only two golfers to shoot even par or better in both rounds.

       

Winged Foot Proves Near-Impossible on Cutdown Day

If you're a fan of golfers hacking it out of the rough, missing four-foot putts and misjudging the wind en route to shooting well over par, then you thoroughly enjoyed the action Friday as the vast majority of the field couldn't figure out Winged Foot.

It was a stark contrast from Thursday, as PGA Tour Communications noted:

2020 U.S. Open scoring averages (as of noon ET Friday)

R1: 72.563
R2: 76.583

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) September 18, 2020

Justin Thomas, who shot five-over after leading the tournament at five-under following one round, provided a prophetic comment pre-tournament that has proven to ring true.

"The viewers at home are going to see some pretty bizarre stuff and probably a lot of putts and chips that make us look pretty bad," he said per Brentley Romine of Golf Channel.

"If you're into that stuff, then you're going to like this week."

A few greens videos in advance of the tournament showcased what the pros are facing this week:

Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie Billy Foster just posted this video of Winged Foot’s 1st green and...let’s just say you better control spin this week.

That ball rolled for 42 seconds!! pic.twitter.com/xPhOyqOP9l

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) September 15, 2020

The greens at Winged Foot this week 😱

📽️: @adrianotaegui pic.twitter.com/nno33JUxem

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 14, 2020

Short missed putts were commonplace on a day where making a green in regulation was a consistent chore, and chances are that trend will continue into the weekend.

      

Tiger Woods Shoots 77, Misses Cut By 4 Strokes

A roller-coaster round on Thursday culminated in six bogeys, six pars, five birdies and a double bogey to finish three-over.

Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong did so on Friday as Woods did not make a birdie through his first 15 holes en route to shooting seven-over on Friday.

He started promisingly enough with four pars after teeing off on No. 10 to begin the second round, but he then shot five-over for the remainder of the back nine thanks to a bogey on No. 14 and double bogeys on No. 16 and No. 18.

Woods then had four bogeys between the second and sixth holes to drop to 12-over. He finished strong with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes, but it was too late as he missed the cut by three.

The Tiger Tracker summed up the 15-time major winner's performance.

Two birdies on the last three holes makes it seem much better than it was. Tiger shoot 7-over 77 and ends the week 10 over par. Brutal. He will have the weekend off and we’ll see him in another month. #USOpen

— Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) September 18, 2020

It was a rough two-day stretch for Woods, but that could be said about a lot of golfers this week. 

Fans who have been keeping an eye on the course at Winged Foot Golf Club have no doubt found themselves awed by the slickness of the greens and the depths of the rough and bunkers.

It turns out the difficulty of the course intimidated the USGA a bit ahead of the U.S. Open, too.

"We kept looking at ways [to] make the golf course a little bit easier because this is such a great test," USGA CEO Mike Davis told ESPN's Nick Pietruszkiewicz Wednesday. "It puts the premium on everything."

The greens at Winged Foot are wicked. 😳

(📹:Instagram/@Billy66Foz) pic.twitter.com/9Mfm1b8te1

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 15, 2020

The U.S. Open has a long history of trying to break the focus and composure of the field.

After Gary Woodland won the tournament at 13-under par in 2019—the second-lowest score in the tournament on record—the USGA is returning to form with a setup sure to see some high rounds. Especially in the opening days.

"When you think about some of the great U.S. Open players of all time—Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods—you never heard them complain," Davis said. "They accepted the challenge. They knew—in fact, in some ways, they knew when others were complaining, it gave them an advantage. Part of the lore of a U.S. Open is it's a very tough golf course, hopefully set up in a fair but a stern manner."

Calling Winged Foot "stern" is rather a mild sentiment in itself.

When Geoff Ogilvy won the last U.S. Open held on the course in 2006, he did so at five over par. Woods infamously missed the cut that year after posting back-to-back rounds of 76 to finish at 12 over par.

Of the five previous U.S. Open tournaments held at the New York course, four saw the winner finish over par.

The 2020 major could bring more of the same.

John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, put it simply when speaking to Pietruszkiewicz.

He wants to let Winged Foot be Winged Foot.