Johnson Fails To Make Birdie At Memorial Tournament

BY ESPN

The measured drive came to rest 413 yards from where it started, a startling display of power, even for Dustin Johnson. That fact that he had just 56 yards remaining to a hole listed at 469 is a testament to his ability to dominate.

Of course, that kind of length is of little value if you don't take advantage, which the world's No. 1-ranked player failed to do.

He hit a relatively poor wedge shot to the 17th green (his eighth hole) and settled for par, the epitome of his worst day on a golf course in 15 months.

Johnson failed to make a birdie on Thursday during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on his way to his worst score since early in 2016.

His 6-over-par 78 included a triple-bogey and a double-bogey after he three-putted from 5 feet. It was his first round without a birdie on the PGA Tour since the opening day of the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

"The way he drives the golf ball, he's able to take advantage of a lot of holes," said Phil Mickelson, who along with William McGirt was in Johnson's group. "And he had a few putts early on that lipped out that should have gone in, starting on the 11th hole [his second], after hitting the green in two.

"And it kind of wore on him until he had one big mistake on 16 [a par-3 when he made a 6], and that was a tough thing."

Johnson has been on a run of excellent golf starting a year ago at the Memorial, where he finished third.

Including that tournament, Johnson has 13 top-5 finishes in 24 tournaments, including six wins. One of those was the U.S. Open, where he will defend his title in two weeks.

His previous worst score this year was a second-round 75 at the Wells Fargo Championship last month, his first tournament after missing the Masters due to a back injury suffered when he fell on stairs in his rental home.

"Earlier this year, before I injured myself, I was playing really well," Johnson said prior to the Memorial. "Everything was just really solid. But it's getting back to where I feel like I'm getting a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident in the game.

"But my game from last year to this year is not really much different."

It was Thursday, which very well might be just a one-day deal. Johnson hit just 11 of greens and needed 35 putts. He did not comment afterward.

The 78 was his highest score since he shot 79 in the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in March 2016. He shot 77 last year in the first round of the PGA Championship, one of two places he's missed a cut since the start of the 2016 season.

Johnson is likely on his way to a missed cut here, as just three players shot worse in the first round. He is 13 strokes behind leaders Jason Dufner and David Lingmerth.

The good news is that will give him more time to prepare for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wisconsin, a venue he has yet to see.