Using a combination of strong iron play and clutch putting, Dustin Johnson came from five shots back during the final round to defeat 54-leader Jordan Spieth on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at THE NORTHERN TRUST GOLF. Unhappy with his putting coming into the week, Johnson removed his TaylorMade Spider Tour Black mallet and replaced it with the company’s TP Collection Juno blade. Made from 303 stainless steel, the 35.75-inch Anser-style blade freed Johnson up and improved his feel — something he noted was a key difference between the two putters. “I got a little bit more feel with the putter, instead of the Spider I was using,” Johnson said, “I was getting a little bit too mechanical and a little bit too — I was worrying about too many things when I was putting instead of just putting.” The high-MOI mallet is designed to increase forgiveness and features an 80/20 PureRoll insert that offers a different overall feel from the milled blade Johnson had in the bag. Johnson ranked 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting during the final round and made several critical putts with the new flatstick, beginning with a 17-footer for birdie on the 15th that pulled him level with Spieth. He would then go on to bury a must-make par putt from 17 feet on the last to extend the tournament. During the playoff, Johnson took an improbable line off the tee with his TaylorMade ’17 M1 460 driver and hammered the shot 341 yards, setting up an approach from 95 yards that nestled 3 feet from the hole for birdie. Johnson led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to green (plus 14.810) and proximity to the hole (24 feet 10 inches) with an all-TaylorMade setup. Here’s a look at Johnson’s entire bag. Driver: TaylorMade ’17 M1 460 (Fujikura Speeder Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec 661X shaft), 11 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade ’17 M1 3HL (Project X HZRDUS Black 95X shaft), 17 degrees 5-wood: TaylorMade ’17 M1 (Project X HZRDUS Black 95X shaft), 19 degrees Irons: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB ’14 (3-PW; True Temper DG Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52 and 60 degrees; KBS Tour 130X Black Nickel shafts) Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Juno Prototype Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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