Johnson Focused on Masters, Using Last Year as Motivation

Dustin Johnson, less than 24 hours removed from finishing 3rd at the Houston Open, walked out on the range, hoping he would have a little more success in this year’s majors.

Success is a relative term though. Johnson finished in the top 7 of three of the four majors last year, but was in contention to win two of those three.

He’s also never won a major title.

The U.S. Open last year was the epitome of Johnson’s play in the final rounds of last year’s majors. In the final round on the eighteenth hole, Johnson needed an eagle to win or a birdie to tie Jordan Spieth. Johnson hit a miraculous second shot on the green, but missed his eagle and birdie attempts. Spieth would win the 2015 U.S. Open, a major that seemed to belong to Johnson.

“I don’t look at them (major losses) as scar tissue. I just try to learn from them and use the experience,” said Johnson, who’s playing in his sixth Masters Tournament.

Experience seems to be the operative word for Johnson, though die-hard fans and even golf aficionados and other professionals might use the word “choke”.

“Last year at the U.S. Open, to me, that gives me a lot of confidence,” Johnson said. “If I’m in that situation on Sunday, I know I can get it done.”

Though confident (and unabashed), Johnson has the opportunity to officially delete “choke” from fans’ and pundits’ everyday vocabulary by winning this year’s Masters.

“One of these days, I will get it done.”

Maybe that day is Sunday in Augusta.