Heading into the final round of the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Dustin Johnson had a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and others. Johnson was going for his second major championship and first since the 2015 U.S. Open.
The first round saw the morning wave get the easier conditions. Dustin Johnson teed off at 8:22 a.m. local time. Dustin got off to a hot start with birdies on three of his first seven holes. A lone bogey on the 18th hole, his 9th hole of the day, saw him make the turn in 33. A birdie on hole one saw Dustin get to three-under on the day. Unfortunately, two bogies in the last three holes put Dustin at a first round total of 69. He would finish the day six shots back of the first-round leaders.
The second-round saw the wind really pick up in the morning wave, and die off in the afternoon. On his front nine, Dustin made one birdie and on bogey to make the turn in 35. After a 17-foot birdie putt on 10, Dustin added three more birdies on 13, 15, and 16. Dustin would go on to bogey 18 to shoot a second-round 67. Two rounds in the 60s and Dustin was ready for a weekend move.
Heading into moving day, Dustin was only a handful back of the lead. A good round would put him into contention. Three birdies in his first five holes vaulted DJ up the leaderboard. After his tee shot found the fairway bunker on nine, he wasn’t able to find the putting surface. This led to a double bogey and a front nine 34. However, birdies on 10, 14, 15, and 17 brought Dustin home in 31. This third round 65 put Dustin at nine-under for the tournament and he was the solo leader heading into Sunday. During the third round 65, Dustin made 140 feet of putts with his Taylormade Spider putter.
Paired with Scottie Scheffler in the final pairing, Dustin was looking to back up his third round 65. A 326-yard tee shot on the first hole left Dustin with a 57-yard wedge shot. Landing just over the bunker, the ball checked up to four feet to start the round with a birdie. After a bogey on three, Dustin got up and down from left of the par-five fourth for his second birdie to get back his one-shot lead. After four pars to start the back, Dustin found the penalty area off the tee on the drivable par-four 16th. His 50-yard chip shot landed on the front and rolled into the hole. He would go on to birdie 18 for a final round 68. The final round 68 left him in a tie for second place and two behind champion, Collin Morikawa.
It was a good week in San Francisco for Dustin. DJ moved up to 15th in the FedEx Cup and remains the fifth ranked golfer in the world. Next up for Dustin, the Northen Trust.
