News
Masters 2019: Why Dustin Johnson might be the most dangerous man in the field
Dom Furore
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The two-under 70 that Dustin Johnson posted on Friday, which left him one off the lead midway through Masters, wasn't a big topic of conversation on Friday evening. And that's to be expected when the magic of Tiger Woods and Augusta National come together to create the improbable situation of Woods also being one back of the leaders heading into the weekend. But now that we've all had the chance to sleep on it, and the adrenaline of Woods' back nine has worn off a bit, it's time we had a chat about DJ.
Johnson might be the most dangerous big name on a leader board heaping with them thanks to the fact that the 70 he shot came on a day when he did a lot of things wrong. Statistically, his ball striking left a lot to be desired. He hit just six of 14 fairways (43 percent) and nine of 18 greens (50 percent). And he still shot two under. And he's one shot off the lead.
"I feel like the conditions the last two days were difficult, a lot of difficult flag pins and it was a tough day out there today," Johnson said after his round, "and I felt like I played—didn't play great, but I got it around."
Those ball-striking numbers contrasted what he did on Thursday, when he hit five more fairways and six more greens en route to an opening 68. Compared to the field, Johnson's stats were low, too. The field hit 68 percent of fairways and 64 percent of greens on Friday. Standing where he does given his ball-striking performance is a testament to the work Johnson has put in to his short game over the past several seasons. And it's even further proof that he needs to be talked about as a complete player, not just the guy who's crazy-long off the tee.
"If I'm swinging well, then I'm really comfortable, so it's a golf course where I feel like I can attack and play very well" Johnson said. "I'm in a good position after two days, and you know, I'm looking forward to this weekend."