For Dustin, Open 2nd hole troubles a 2nd time

LOS ANGELES — Another U.S. Open in California. Another second-hole meltdown for Dustin Johnson. Please refrain from any references to a golden state.

Thirteen years ago, in 2010, the Open was at Pebble Beach, and going into the final round Johnson was in first. Then he was in a funk, taking a seven on hole No. 2, normally a par-5 but played as a par-4 for the Open. 

You could say his game figuratively went south. He ended up with an 82 and tied for eighth.

Now the Open literally has gone south, to Los Angeles Country Club. In the intervening years, Johnson won a U.S. Open and a Masters. He’s a major champion--and still tormented by a second hole at a U.S. Open.

This time it was Friday in the June gloom of a southern Cal summer. This time he took an 8, a snowman, and a dreaded quadruple bogey on a 497-yard par-4.

This time, despite instantly dropping from a cumulative 6-under to 2-under, he didn’t blow a U.S. Open. Not with 36 holes to play and the course toughened after those record-low 62s Thursday. Not with potential disasters awaiting in the fiendishly prepared rough or the barranca that is the course landmark.

“To battle back,” said Johnson, whose birdie at the 18th enabled him to shoot an even-par 70. “I’m proud of that.”

Open courses are supposed to be difficult. The USGA probably had a few apoplectic officials after round one of the tournament, when not just one person broke the single-round scoring record, but two.

Usually, even the winner has one round of his four that requires a fortunate putt or a holed bunker shot. The idea at the majors is to play as well as you are able to for as long as you are able to. 

There’s an off-handed comment that growing old is not for sissies. Well, even though the issue certainly is different, neither are major golf championships.

The reluctant need not try. The conditions are testing, and the results are frequently frustrating, if not downright disappointing. It’s a work of persistence. You’re up against players as good as you. Rickie Fowler might do it at last. Or might never do it.

We used to say the same about Dustin Johnson. Now he’s one of the very best. And yet once again in California there he was at a U.S. Open making a mess of things.

“I was just trying to make a five,” said Johnson. “Didn’t hit that bad of a drive. I just hit it a little on the top so it didn’t quite cut enough. Caught the corner of the bunker and then chunked my bunker shot. Everything that you could do wrong I did wrong.”

Not really. He had a rotten hole, but at the halfway point he was only four shots behind.

“It could have gone the other way after the second hole,” said Johnson.

But it went the right way. Unlike after the second hole in the other Open in California.