His coach once asked Rickie Fowler if he wanted to be a golfer or a Kardashian. What Fowler really wants is that elusive major title. Could it come at this U.S. Open?
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HOUSTON - Dustin Johnson has been on the PGA TOUR for more than a decade, but he has the opportunity Sunday to accomplish something he's never done before. RELATED: Leaderboard Johnson has 23 wins, but he's never been victorious after shooting over par in the opening round. Despite shooting 2-over 72 on Thursday, Johnson will start the Vivint Houston Open's final round just three strokes behind leader Sam Burns. Johnson followed his poor opening round with back-to-back 66s. He compared those last two rounds to the form he showed in the FedExCup Playoffs, when he finished 1st-2nd-1st to claim his first FedExCup. Johnson was admittedly rusty when he teed off Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course. This is his first tournament since his sixth-place finish at the U.S. Open in September. Johnson missed his next two scheduled starts after testing positive for COVID-19. He isolated alone in a hotel room for 11 days, unable to practice or work out. "The most movement I made was to the shower," Johnson said earlier this week. He didn't start hitting balls until a week before the Vivint Houston Open and had to cut his first practice session short because of the fatigue that followed being sedentary for so long. Johnson made five bogeys on his first nine holes at Memorial Park. "I was driving it well, I was driving it in the fairway and I was making bogeys from the fairway," Johnson said about his opening round. "Just a little off with the irons, just a little rusty ... from competition. ... Until you get out here and you’re kind of playing in competition, you don’t really know where your game’s at." He's made just three bogeys in 45 holes since. He was bogey-free on Saturday. He's second in driving distance, 12th in driving accuracy and fourth in greens hit. Only two players - Brooks Koepka and Will Gordon - shot lower Saturday. "Obviously after the first nine holes I’ve played pretty solid and I like the way I’m playing. I’m swinging well," Johnson said. "I'm seeing a lot of similarities to how I was playing back when I was playing really well a couple months ago. The game’s feeling really good going into next week and obviously we’ve still got another day tomorrow and I feel like I’m in a good position with a chance to win."
Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers are your winners of the latest edition of The Match. It wasn’t Bryson DeChambeau’s big, altitude-assisted tee shots that were key to victory, though. Instead, it was Rodgers’ putter. He holed clutch putt after clutch putt to help his team take control on the back nine. The pair won, 3 and 2, after Rodgers holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. The match was all square after nine holes, but DeChambeau and Rodgers won three consecutive holes on the back nine to pull away. Check below for our live updates from the action at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. HOLE-BY-HOLE HOLE NO. 1 Par 4, 475 yards Moonlight Basin’s altitude promised us big bombs off the tee, but it was DeChambeau’s short game that gave his team a 1-up lead after one hole. DeChambeau, who carried his opening tee shot more than 340 yards uphill, holed out from about 10 yards short of the green after Rodgers left his wedge shot short of the putting surface. Mickelson had a 20-footer to halve the hole, but he left it low. DeChambeau was the star of the first hole. He brought duct tape to the first tee, giving Brady grief splitting his pants in the match at Medalist. Then DeChambeau split the fairway with driver. “Bryson, he’s a maniac,” Rodgers said. “And we’re already in Phil’s head, too. Bryson is bringing the jokes today.” HOLE NO. 2 Par 3, 172 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 1 up DeChambeau and Rodgers remained in the lead but Rodgers had to grind over a knee-knocker to halve the hole. He holed a 3-footer as both teams parred the short par-3 second. Both teams failed to concede short par putts, setting the tone for the match. Rodgers was the only member of the foursome to find the green. Brady was flag hunting, but his tee shot bounced just past the green and into the long grass. Brady lagged a 40-foot putt from the fringe close to the hole to ensure a par for his team. DeChambeau, whose tee shot found the bunker, burned the edge with his team’s 30-footer but he ran it about 3 feet by. Fortunately, Rodgers was steady under pressure. HOLE NO. 3 Par 4, 392 yards All square An unforced error brought the match to all square. With President Barack Obama watching, DeChambeau and Brady both knocked altitude-assisted tee shots close on this drivable par-4. DeChambeau used a 3-wood, while Brady hit driver. “My man, what a drive,” Mickelson said to his partner. Mickelson couldn’t convert the 15-footer that he had after Brady’s tee shot, but it didn’t matter. Rodgers knocked his downhill 12-footer about 5 feet past the hole and DeChambeau missed the comebacker. HOLE 4 Par 5, 566 yards Mickelson/Brady, 1 up We had some of our best banter of the day after Mickelson roasted a tee shot into the fairway. He was feeling good enough about the blast that he challenged DeChambeau. “Get you some of that, Bryson,” Mickelson said. DeChambeau couldn’t catch the 51-year-old. He missed low and left, just like his partner, Rodgers. “I toe-snap-hooked the heck out of that thing,” DeChambeau said. “That’s the risk you take when swinging it that fast.” That opened the door for Mickelson to boast about his length. “I feel like that’s what happens when you try to keep up with me. You have to stay within yourself. On national TV, a 51-year-old outdriving you? That can’t happen,” Mickelson said. The struggles off the tee led to another lost hole for Rodgers and DeChambeau, who now trail after taking the early lead. Mickelson hit his 55-yard third shot so close that Brady exclaimed, “Good shot, Phil. I’m surprised they don’t give that to me.” The putt was about 5 feet but Brady rolled it into the heart. “Why didn’t you give just give it to me and save some time on the front end?” Brady said. Back-to-back birdies gave Mickelson and Brady their first lead of the day. HOLE 5 Par 3, 245 yards Mickelson/Brady, 1 up This one was easy. Both Mickelson and DeChambeau hit their tee shots within 3 feet of the hole, rolling their balls down a slope and close to the hole. Mickelson won closest-to-the-hole honors by about a ½-inch. The hole was halved with conceded birdies. On to the next one. That’s three straight birdies from Mickelson and Brady. HOLE 6 Par 5, 590 yards All square Buckle up. This hole features a long-drive competition, an opportunity for DeChambeau to get revenge on Mickelson. Phil found the fairway. That was enough to win. Bryson hit a cart path but his ball ended up deep in the high grass. With the quarterbacks hitting from a forward tee, each team used their tee shots instead. That left DeChambeau and Mickelson to hit the approaches. DeChambeau hit first, leaving his about 30 feet from the hole. Mickelson missed the green. A two-putt birdie was enough to square the match again. We also found out from Phil that Tom Brady “smells incredible.” In case you were wondering. HOLE 7 Par 3, 184 yards Brady/Mickelson, 1 up After the other three hit pedestrian tee shots, Phil knew he had an opportunity to capitalize on this short par-3. He took time over the club selection, prompting DeChambeau to wonder if Mickelson was in violation of pace-of-play protocol. “That’s you,” Brady replied, in defense of his partner. Mickelson used a slope left of the hole to funnel his tee shot within 10 feet of the hole. And then Rob Gronkowski called in from his nephew’s baseball game while Brady was waiting for DeChambeau to putt. When Gronk questioned whether Brady would be ready for the upcoming season, Brady said The Match was simply a chance to scout the competition. “I’m 30 feet away from Aaron Rodgers, who is the leader of the Packers,” Brady said. “I think.” Then Brady drained the birdie putt. HOLE 8 Par 5, 777 yards All square A 280-foot drop from the tee made a 500-yard tee shot possible. A white line was painted across the fairway at that point. Mickelson’s tee shot caught the small bunker in the middle of the fairway, while Bryson crushed his tee shot. It hung up in the rough, though, and didn’t roll to the bottom of the hill. DeChambeau’s ball still traveled 480 yards. Meanwhile, Mickelson had fairway wood for his third shot after Brady had to pitch out of the bunker. Rodgers piped one from a forward tee, so they used his tee shot, leaving Bryson with just an 8-iron into the hole. He hit it into a bunker but Rodgers blasted out to 12 feet. Mickelson was left with about a 40-footer for par. He conceded after missing and the match was back to all square. Fun fact: Golfers at Moonlight Basin get bear spray for their cart. That also was shared during this hole. HOLE 9 Par 4, 282 yards All square At this altitude, players were trying to drive the green with long-irons and fairway woods. Mickelson and DeChambeau both found trouble, though, leaving it to the quarterbacks. This was the fifth time in the last six holes that DeChambeau’s team used Rodgers’ tee shot. Both quarterbacks hit shots near the green but neither of the TOUR players knocked his pitch close. Both quarterbacks missed birdie putts of about 15 feet. HOLE 10 Par 4, 427 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 1 up Another drivable par-4. Another hole where the quarterbacks hit the best tee shots. Rodgers’ tee shot has now been used on six of the last seven holes. DeChambeau hit his pitch to 3 feet to set up birdie but Mickelson’s chip ran 12 feet past the hole. Brady left it high and DeChambeau/Rodgers took the lead for the first time since the second hole. HOLE 11 Par 4, 447 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 2 up Rodgers and Brady played catch before the pros teed off. Then they tried to use the altitude and elevation changes to their advantage. Even this hole was in reach off the tee. DeChambeau’s tee shot rolled down a hill, about 20 yards short of the green. Rodgers, playing from a forward tee, rolled his ball about five yards past DeChambeau. After Mickelson’s tee shot hung up on the hill, about 100 yards behind his opponents’, Brady hit an iron shot to about 40 feet. Rodgers made a 10 footer for a second straight birdie. It’s a formula that led to wins on the first two holes of the back nine. Rodgers tee shot. DeChambeau pitch. Rodgers putt. Win. This is the first time all match that anyone has led by more than 1 up. HOLE 12 Par 3 DeChambeau/Rodgers, 3 up Three. Straight. Birdies. Rodgers rolled in another birdie putt after Dehambeau hit his approach to 8 feet. And Rodgers is walking them in. They’re starting to break this thing open. HOLE 13 Par 4, 470 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 3 up Things got a little ugly on this one. Rodgers and DeChambeau both missed well left of the fairway and out of play. Then Brady shanked his tee shot with an iron. “I’m channeling my inner Charles Barkley,” Brady said. There was more trouble after Brady hooked the approach some 40 yards left of the green and into the thick grass. The hole was halved with bogey, but that’s all Rodgers and DeChambeau need at this point. HOLE 14 Par 4, 443 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 3 up ONE. CLUB. CHALLENGE. It got ugly. Each player drew a card and was required to play the hole with only that club. Rodgers drew 3-wood. Mickelson pulled 4-iron. Brady drew 7-iron and Bryson had to play wedge. And the tee shots with the shortest clubs had to be used after Rodgers and Phil hit it off the map. Things got ugly from there. Rodgers put DeChambeau in trouble with the 3-wood and Brady missed a 4-foot bogey putt with his 7-iron. Rodgers earned the half by knocking in a 3-footer with his 3-wood. The hole was halved with 6s. HOLE 15 Par 5, 633 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers, 2 up Phil had his caffeine gum. It was a protein bar for Bryson. The caffeine gum won. Phil hit the approach on the green, giving his team a 30-foot eagle putt. Bryson, trying to hit a long-iron out of thick grass, hit his shot into a penalty area, forcing Rodgers to hit a lengthy fourth shot. That missed the green and Bryson couldn’t hole the bunker shot. Brady never had to attempt the eagle putt. Phil and Brady won a hole for the first time since No. 7. HOLE 16 Par 3, 180 yards DeChambeau/Rodgers win, 3 and 2 Mickelson and DeChambeau both hit the green. DeChambeau’s tee shot zipped back and threatened the hole before settling some 15 feet away. Mickelson tried to throw some shade Rodgers’ way before his team attempted its birdie putt. “We can’t kick the field goal here. We have to go for the touchdown,” he said, a jab referring to the Packers’ loss to Brady’s Buccaneers in this year’s NFC Championship. Rodgers got revenge, holing a 12-footer to cash in on DeChambeau’s tee shot and win The Match.
Martin Piller … Among the handful in the field able to sleep in their own beds in the Metroplex during this fortnight, he’s coming off a front-loaded T21 at Trinity Forest where he crafted a career-low 63 in the second round. It was his fourth top 25 of the season, the last two of which in his native Texas. The bigger news, however, is that he’s now making his third start as a first-time father who has all but sewn up his TOUR card for next season. With all kinds of positive mojo flowing, the 32-year-old can further lean on the vibes of a T6 in his debut at Colonial in 2016. Nick Watney … He locked up his card for next season with a co-runner-up performance at the Wells Fargo Championship three weeks ago, but he was already piecing together a respectful season, albeit sans the spike. Owns a consecutive cuts made streak of 12 as he prepares for his seventh appearance at Colonial. Seeking his first top 25 in the tournament, his approach game and putting are poised to produce like they did at Quail Hollow en route to leading the field in greens in regulation while ranking T4 in proximity to the hole and seventh in strokes gained: putting. Currently a respective T61, T3 and 47th in those three stats for the season. Danny Lee … Casual fans would have missed his runs at the Houston Open, RBC Heritage and Valero Texas Open because of massive Sunday fades, but devotees of consuming earlier action were not surprised to see him put all four rounds together at THE PLAYERS for a season-best-tying T7. The turnaround in general over his last six starts was due almost entirely to improved putting. He’s shaved 0.887 strokes per round on the greens and climbed 104 spots in strokes gained: putting to his current position of T89. Now the local resident gets another opportunity to sink his teeth into Colonial where he’s 5-for-5 with a T10, T22 and solo sixth in the last three editions. David Lingmerth … This endorsement likely hinges on him securing a tee time in the final round, and that’s not intended to be humorous. In four previous appearances at Colonial, he’s scored 65, 66, 65 and 67 to finish a respective T18, T5, T33 and T12. Contrarily, in nine final rounds in 15 starts this season, he’s manufactured only three red numbers and hasn’t logged a top 25 in over six months. As one of the most accurate off the tee, the 30-year-old will need to lean on his comfort level over current form. David Hearn … As the third alternate at the commitment deadline, this is a bonus start in a 121-man invitational. So, even though he’s 148th in the FedExCup standings, he might feel like he’s playing on house points. Even better, Colonial is the kind of place where he projects to collect, too. A regular here since 2011, he’s scattered three top 25s among six cuts made. His record also includes a career-low-tying 64 in the opening round of 2013 (the only edition in which he’s missed a cut). Lined up similarly well as a course horse at TPC Louisiana a month ago and tied for 10th with partner Seamus Power. The 38-year-old Canadian also fits the profile in Fort Worth, slotting 12th on TOUR in fairways hit and second in proximity to the hole.
