PGA Championship 2019: Dustin Johnson completes runner-up grand slam after second place finish

Dustin Johnson will be a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame one day, largely for his 20 PGA Tour wins and his U.S. Open victory at Oakmont. But on Sunday at the PGA Championship, the fact that he didn’t win helped him reach an impressive accomplishment: the second-place grand slam.

Johnson’s runner-up finish at the PGA Championship means he has now finished second at every major championship (the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship) becoming the eighth player to do so. It’s also his second straight runner-up finish in a 2019 major after Tiger Woods beat him by a stroke at the Masters in April. It obviously isn’t a feat he’s thrilled about, but it is evidence of a sound career, with a near-miss at every important event.

“Obviously I knew starting seven back that it was going to be a big feat to catch Brooks [Koepka],” Johnson said.” You know, I definitely gave him a run, though, so I was happy with that.”

Others players who claim the second-place grand slam distinction are Louis Oosthuizen, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman. You’ll recall that Oosthuizen accomplished this feat at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, and serenaded his followers after the fact on social media.

Just finished my career grand slam second’s .. “I’ll rise up” pic.twitter.com/083aRityWn

— Louis Oosthuizen (@Louis57TM) August 14, 2017

Johnson will look to add a second career major to his trophy case at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in just three weeks.

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