This could be redemption time for Dustin Johnson. Ten years ago on Whistling Straits the big man grounded his club on a patch of sandy soil that came down last. Under local rules, it counted as a bunker, and a retrospective penalty meant he missed a playoff with Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer.
Then last year at Bethpage Black, he rode in circuit leader Brooks Koepka in a stroke, only to immediately return a few shots and break his compatriot for the tape. The PGA Championship is his one fault. Yes, this can be redemption time. He plays more than well enough, as the beautiful eighth nine of yesterday proves beyond any doubt. It’s on! It is … op?
Thing is that Sundays are rarely friendly for DJs with the majors. Also on his rap sheet: a three-putt from close range at 18 to hand over the 2015 US Open to Jordan Spieth; a shot wobbled OB from the middle of the fairway at the business end of the 2011 Open; that triple-bogey, double-bogey-talking fall when crashing out of the blocks at the 2010 U.S. Open sent off a three-shot 54-hole advantage in record time. Even the one he won, the 2016 US Open, involved another controversial retrospective penalty. Say nothing when the big man is in controversy.
Plus Koepka is just two of the lead. There are also many other players ready to hit. You can create a case for just about anyone on the Leaderboard, which looked like 54 holes …
-9: D Johnson
-8: Scheffler, Champ
-7: Morikawa, Casey, Koepka
-6: DeChambeau, Finau, Rose, Berger, Dei, Fleetwood
-5: Dahmen, Kim, Wolff, Schauffele, Li
-4: Matsuyama, Wiesberger, Lorenzo-Vera
-3: Cantlay, Poulter, Simpson, Rahm, Reed, Varner III, Frittelli, Griffin, Todd
Here’s when everyone will be tea (BST not local). This promises to be a last day for ages. Good luck, everyone! It’s on!
1500 Sung Kang
1510 Ryan Palmer, Jordan Spieth
1520 Chez Reavie, JT Poston
1530 Erik van Rooyen, Matt Wallace
1540 Danny Lee, Robert MacIntyre
1550 Adam Long, Bubba Watson
1600 Joost Luiten, Rory Sabbatini
1610 Kevin Streelman, Viktor Hovland
1620 Jim Herman, Gary Woodland
1630 Tiger Woods, Tom Hoge
1640 Sepp Straka, Byeong Hun An
1650 Billy Horschel, Abraham Ancer
1700 Phil Mickelson, Russell Henley
1710 Luke List, Mark Hubbard
1720 Bud Cauley, Louis Oosthuizen
1730 Brian Harman, Brandt Snedeker
1750 Kurt Kitayama, Rory McIlroy
1800 Doc Redman, Emiliano Grillo
1810 Mackenzie Hughes, Cameron Smith
1820 Brendan Steele, Alex Noren
1830 Denny McCarthy, Adam Hadwin
1840 Shane Lowry, Nate Lashley
1850 Justin Thomas, Harris English
1900 Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel
1910 Kevin Kisner, Victor Perez
1920 Brendon Todd, Keith Mitchell
1930 Dylan Frittelli, Lanto Griffin
1940 Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III
1950 Webb Simpson, Jon Rahm
2000 Patrick Cantlay, Ian Poulter
2010 Bernd Wiesberger, Mike Lorenzo-Vera
2020 Li Haotong, Hideki Matsuyama
2040 Matthew Wolff, Xander Schauffele
2050 Joel Dahmen, Si Woo Kim
2100 Daniel Berger, Tommy Fleetwood
2110 Justin Rose, Jason Day
2120 Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau
2130 Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka
2140 Cameron Champ, Collin Morikawa
2150 Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler
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