Dustin Johnson’s moving-day 65 was unequivocally one of the most impressive rounds of the week as he carded eight birdies, a bogey and a double to take the 54-hole lead at the PGA Championship. The round is even more impressive when you consider he did it missing one key tool — his yardage book.
When Johnson stepped onto the first tee, he was ready to make a charge up the leaderboard. But this time, he’d be doing it somewhat blind, without any of the course notes he’d already taken from the week.
“It’s got to be in the bottom of my bag,” Johnson said after the round. “But I didn’t want to take all my clubs out on the golf course.”
Luckily for Johnson, his brother — and caddie — Austin, had a back-up that they could use. Johnson also noted that although his old book is filled with notes and tips, the stock book they replaced it with works as an adequate replacement.
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Johnson got off to a solid start on the outward nine and he was three under on the day when he stepped to the tee on the difficult 9th. When he walked off the green, he’d undone most of that progress with a costly double bogey. But just as quickly as that momentum was dashed, Johnson regained it as he put on a clinical display on the back nine (the tougher of the two nines for the week), carding four birdies and no bogeys to get into the clubhouse with the lead.
If he hopes to claim major No. 2 tomorrow, he’ll has to continue that precision he showcased during the latter half of his round.
“I’m going to have to play good golf if I want to win,” he said. “It’s simple; I’ve got to hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. If I can do that tomorrow, I’m going to have a good chance coming down the stretch on the back nine.”
It’ll also be helpful if he doesn’t misplace his yardage book this time around.