AUGUSTA, Ga. – Dustin Johnson’s plan for Wednesday evening is quite simple.
“I’m going to take it really easy,” he said.
If only he’d done that a year ago.
It was on the eve of the Masters last year that Johnson slipped on a set of wooden stairs in his rental house and injured his back. He attempted to warm up through the discomfort, but he ultimately decided to withdraw from the event – a stunning blow considering his career-best form entering the tournament, with three consecutive titles.
A year later, he’s still reminded about that blunder.
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“I get asked it every day out here on the range or walking down the fairway,” he said. “I’m reminded all the time. So, yeah, I definitely was thinking about it. But it is what it is. It was just a freak thing and it happened; there’s nothing I can do about it except I’m here this year. Hopefully I can tee it up on Thursday, and I’ll definitely be looking forward to that.”
Johnson hasn’t been nearly as dominant this spring. He nearly lost his No. 1 ranking last month, and his only win this calendar year was his runaway victory at Kapalua. He added three other top-10s but in his most recent appearance, he lost all three matches at the WGC-Match Play.
Asked to compare, on a 1-10 scale, his confidence level now as opposed to last year, Johnson replied: “Last year I was about as confident as I’ve ever been, so it was probably a 10. This year it’s probably a 9 ½. I’m starting to swing it a lot better.”
Source: Internet
