1. DJ adds the FedEx Cup to his trophy case in a singular season
PGATour.com’s Sean Martin...”Johnson is the champion of a season unlike any other. He did it with a month that reminded us of how easy he can make the game look.”
- “This season was anything but. Johnson had surgery on his left knee less than two weeks after last year’s TOUR Championship and didn’t play until the Presidents Cup in December. He made just four starts before the season was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. Even after his first win of the season, he shot back-to-back 80s at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.”
- …”After beating just one player at the Memorial and withdrawing from his next start because of a back injury, Johnson put on an impressive performance over his final four starts.”
- “He closed the season with two wins and two runners-up. He was the 54-hole leader in all four events. Only two 64s – from Collin Morikawa at the PGA and Jon Rahm at the BMW Championship – and two of the season’s most incredible shots could stop Johnson during that closing stretch.”
2. About that 80-80 at the Memorial…
ESPN’s Bob Harig…“The thing about DJ is you never know,” said Thomas, who by sharing second with Schauffele earned $4.5 million. “Hats off to him. I don’t know if he’ll talk about it, but I played with him at the Memorial, and I’ve never seen him as lost, anywhere remotely close to that lost.
- “He was grinding his [butt] off. He was putting so bad and playing so bad. But he never gave up. He wasn’t quitting. He was just trying to figure it out there and he couldn’t find it again the next week, and then next you know, he’s the FedEx Cup champion and running away.
- “That’s all you need to know about golf right there.”
- “And that’s all you need to know about Johnson, who seemingly has the ability to shed disappointment without much energy spent.”
3. When $25K was a big payday
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“All total Dustin Johnson made $20.8 million in winnings and FedExCup bonuses for the 2019-20 season. To put that context that’s more than all but 77 players have made in their entire PGA Tour careers.”
- “For Johnson the more telling comparison is the earliest years of his career just as he was earning his way onto the Tour.”
- “When I went through all three stages of [2007] Q-School and got my Tour card I think they gave me like a $25,000 check,” he said following his three-stroke victory at the Tour Championship which was worth $15 million. “I thought I was rich because I didn’t have but a couple hundred bucks in my bank account probably.”
4. JT feels he’s peaking
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“Normally the Tour Championship conclusion is a chance for players to exhale after a long season, but because of the pandemic and dramatically rearranged schedule the end of the season marks the start of a busy fall.”
- “The U.S. Open will be held in two weeks at Winged Foot, followed by the Masters in November, which leaves little time for players to rest. But for those who are playing well, it’s a chance to keep the momentum going.”
- “I always take a couple days off after a tournament anyway, but I’m excited. I’m really excited how I’m playing, how I feel about my game, how my body feels,” said Justin Thomas, who tied for second place at the finale. “I’m feeling like I’m starting to play some of my best golf of the year, and getting to a pretty important stretch, so hopefully we’ll be able to continue it into next week and then October and November.”
5. …and Jimmy Johnson will be back on the bag
Golf Channel’s (resident content machine) Rex Hoggard…“Along with a game that appears to be peaking at the right time, Thomas will also have a familiar face on his golf bag at Winged Foot. He confirmed on Monday at East Lake that Jimmy Johnson will be back on the bag at the U.S. Open.”
- “Johnson has been recovering at home since the Memorial with health issues and Thomas had Jim “Bones” Mackay step in for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.”
6. LPGA bubble
Larry Bohannon breaks down the LPGA bubble...”This year, it also takes two negative COVID-19 tests, a color-coded wrist band and a pledge not to dine out during tournament week.”
- “Since the LPGA returned to play in July after a five-month stoppage because of the coronavirus pandemic, the tour has tried to build a so-called bubble around each tournament. The bubble is intended to isolate players and other tournament personnel from the outside world, limiting the chances of contacting or spreading the virus.”
- “But no two bubbles, even the one being crafted at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, for the ANA Inspiration this week, have been exactly the same.”
- “We’ve had to deal with local regulations everywhere we have gone,” said Christina Lance, senior manager of tour media for the LPGA. “Every place is different.”
7. GolfWRX’s shots from the Safeway
GolfWRX is live from Napa Valley at the Silverado Resort and Spa for the Safeway Open.
- “The par-72, 7,166-yard track saw Cameron Champ emerge victorious in the most recent contesting. This year, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, and Sergio Garcia are all teeing it up, as well as Matt Kuchar, Kevin Streelman, and Erik van Rooyen, to name a few in the 144-man field.”
- “A tune-up event for the U.S. Open for the first (and almost certainly last) time in its history, the Safeway Open-first event of the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season-is an interesting one from an equipment standpoint. Not only are the new Titleist woods seeding (as well as other equipment, potentially) but players looking for an edge will be motivated to change up their bags ahead of the 2020-2021 campaign, as will 2021 equipment free agents and players who could potentially be facing sponsorship switches.”
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