In a study of contrasts, Jordan Sp1ieth rnoved halfway to the U.S. Open1 while Dustin Johnson was left set
he Gra?id Slam by siirviving an epic back-nine battle at �hing after an,other stunning collapse in a mcijor
U.S. OPEN
Eruiy on S11ndoy c,·cnlng, nfter the lesser cllnrnc1crs hod 6nnlly exi1ed the noge,the I !Sib U.S. Open became o ,wo-mon dmmo 1bn1 doubled neatly as • mornlity play. Jordnn Spkth,Amenca'S5weerhearr, came ro the 72nd hole hnving aJ-ready'\\llO 1t11d lost the Open on the preceding two green.,. or so it seemed. 111c Mnsters ch,uup wns chasing lusrory in his own llllllleJ!t wny, In the 5nnl group behind him was bud boy Dusnnjoh11S00, though because this i• golf he's nor that bod. But things have nlwnys come n Httlc 100 onsily for Johnson-girls, golf, nches-und now he found himself in Lhc hunt on Lhe last. nine of onr nationol chompiom,hip,whicb serves•• n ki11d of MRI of tbe soul, Johnson hnd arrh·ed 01 the 10th tee ";th o ,wo-shoL lend, thanks 10 o front nine of mecronomic ball striking, bu, he shrank from tbc immcnsicy of the opportunity, bogeyinirthrce of the next four holes 10 tumble ou1 o!the lend. Spieth came 10 1he 18th r.-c with his caddie, Michocl GrcUer, in his ear. "shoving pomrlve thoughrs into my head" ns the 21•ycar -oldSpictb put i1. He needed them, He hnd been tied for d11,leod on 1he 16tb hQle, when ploying pnrtner Branden Grace, nu unsung Soum Afn can, blew his lee sho1 in 1he ;icinityohhe rn1lroad trucks along PugerSound en route ro n double bogey. Spieth pour e- d in n 27-roo, birdie pun with four ree, of brcu, nnd just loo, that TROUBLlNG Splathma,n tbc lend wns th=. The nnblessness of lhe pun,nnd contrvl until a the lusty celcbrnrion 1h01 follnwl-d, evoked Tiger dotlbla bogey Woods in hUI prime. "That wus obou1 05 animnred et the 17th, and t os t ,.e been since maybe rhrowing o tnmrum whe,n even after e birdie I wns 13 on the c,ourse,"Spiclh said. "I thoughnhm at the lest he was the one." Bur on the pur-3 17th be made what thought he had thrown lt away. eoukl have been ucpmnt10It-alrering double bogey, three-puning nr1cr n poor 1ee shot 10 foll bn.ck 10 Cour under. The tee box of the 601-ynrd, pi1r·51Blh hole waschnoiic and claustrophobic, Spieth wns surrounded by photographers witb itclly 11igger fmgers, hamed USGA officinls airir,essively whispering into walki.e•mlkies, 110d cops witb mirrored snnglnsses crying tu eomnin the huge crowds Utnl hod been whipped inro n frenzy by on epic bock nine. As Sp1e1b stood on rho tee, assessing his options, he wns enveloped by roau. Johnson hod JUSI stuffed bis tee shot on t7, setting up 1ho birdie tl1ot "·ould tie him for the lead. Op u.hc'lld Louis Oostlmi:o,n wns making birdic to reuc.h four under. Thnt copped a boclcnine for the nges (29), bot this story wus m,-..er going robe nbou1 Oosthuizen,
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HAT SPIETH'S fote would be deetded on
the 18th bole wo.s proof thnnhe golf gods'"""• seru;cuf humor. Chambers Boy, in Ui,jver.si1y Pl�e, Wu.sh., 1s • nco·lmks on o grand saule, with huge, henv:ing greens nnd cKpansivc 1ccing areas rhar allow ro, o wide \'llilety in the serup. On Pridoy, Lhe 18th had been shonened 10 o 514-yard pnr-q, and en Toute to making• double bogey, the urdirutrily genteel Spieth was cnugh1 by'l'Vmikescnllin1ri1 "the dumbest hole I've ever plo.yed in my lifc," owing ro on exrremely tigh1 londing urea. He doubled down on 1he criticism when tnlldng to repomrs nl'tcr his round. DidSpaeth's ou1cry persuade tbc USGA ICfldelllhip ro piny 1he hole <IS n p1tr-S onSunday,even lhough tberc is an institutionoJ bio.s rownrd n tough pur-4 us a 6nishmg hole? Maybe, mnyh<, no,, but it wns rhe fitS1 rns,c or the political capital 1h01 comes wub being the game's besr pln)'er. (Sorry, Rory.) Spieih smashed his drive un 18, 1rnd i1 looked for all the world 10 be bended into tl1e bunker frorn whltb he mode his double bogey. But the ball 361 IPOITltU.Umt.AflD / JUJIIUl,IOU
took a soh bouJ1ce on the hurned-ou1 (airways ond stopped thn-e pnoes ,l10rt of the sood, on • gcn1le upslope 1hot would help him lnunc:h l1iJI opp roach shot from 279 yards. ·11,c pc.rfcc1 lie w115 one of the lucky littl• break• no whlc:h a career din hinge. "T couldn't have worked up 1here nnd placed the b1tll any better." Spicr.h said. "'!'bot slope allowed me 10 bit 3-wood 11.tld ll"l it in the air. That wns 1tbsolurcly hugc.• Ui.8 cut shot wos 11irting with o grecnside bunker until, in his estimation. n puff of wind ar. lhe Inst moment blew lhe ball onlo the right edge or the green. nnd from L11erc fl rode n ridge 10 within 15 feet of ll,e hole. !f'ltc ,1101 was nn ins1oni clnssic.11 Is testnrnen, to how Jl1ll.OY big puttsSpieth hns olrcndy mode in hiu:nrccr Ullll i1 rn1ed as n surprise he didn'1 bury the eagle try. Still, the rop•in birdie gave him back the solo lead RI five under. ]ohnsoo hod nlrcady shoveil n S53•ynrd dJil'I! down 1he thront of the fnirwuy. and then he pured n 5-irou to 13 foet, setting up n sli.ppccy downlliU slider for eagle to win. Sequestered in the sairing area.Spieth •11Pni.. d ove.r lutving left the tournnment in someone else's lutnd!.
U.S. OPEN
saying it probabli• should hove been a 73, 'rhc sauy thing about Spieth':< run is thnt ot the Mosien; und tbe Open he didn't ho\'C bis best baU-sailcing weeks. but he eked out I he lows-st possiole scores. Away from the course Spietlt ond his family h.-,: found o winning fom,uln ro den! with l11s <m:sting stardom. "We keep ir os noon11I as possible," says Spieth-. fnther, Sbn,rn, who along with his wile, Chris,shnn.-d a remal house with Jordon und youa�'l!r brother Steven lest week. (Sister Ellie wos bw:k home in Oollos.) "Don't read uayming about tho golf, don' t wuteh anything. just h.tlve nice, qu1el family nmc... Thor clois1ered upproach stoud rn stark rontrn!it <O Jolu,son's group. Puulma Grerzky chose Thundoy of Open week, of oll days, to relense on lnsrogrllm • phoro of hen.ctr inn tiny bikmi, showing o(fu nubile pon• pregrumcy body, ,\Ithough he was tuning 1he bnJJ beaunfully,Johnson complnmed after l!Vl'rf ronnd of oll the squw,dered opponu• nities, -..mich is of ii piece for o player who bobitnaJtyhos done le,;s with more.Johnson's n,w tolemhos mlldc him afwure near ,he rap of the Wmld Ranking, but for years h18 coach, Burch Hannon, 11tumbli:d tltnt e,-.ryomer mp plnyerwn., omworkini; h18 protege.Johnson's an•course carelessness bt."t"n.me pnrt o( the llllll'llurewhen he blew prime chances nuhree mnjor championships dunng the finnl round m the span of 13 montbs, begmning with the NOT AGAIN 2010 U.S. Open, wlu:rc ho took u tltree-suoke Johnson walked onto tho lead imoSundny n1ld shot 112. ln the cliqmsb 18th green with• chance South Plor,dto golf community,soories began to win, but ha lafl It• clrcuJn.rfog of Johnson1.s excessive parrying_. shot short or a oloyoH. but they were usuolly greetod with• shrug. Ir wn.< jnst DUSttn bemg Dustin. Johnson's bud hobirs linully cnugbt up with ham llllllJul)' , when he announced hewnsrnlong • "ltu\'c of nb>ence" to nddress"pcrsoruil chnJJenges."1\vodays Inter SI senior writer Michael Bomberger reporad on GOLF.com thatJohnson hod fniled the Lhird drug u:sr of !us career. Bnmberg,,r's hlµhly placcd ronfi• dentiol source hod IIL""'"5 to l'GA Tour dorumoms thnt spclled out the timing of tlte foiled u:sts und the drugs in quesuon (morijunnn m 2009, cocaine in 'tz and 'l4), Johnson was facing a sLx-month suspension tltnt was sntisficd by his lerrre, 11 giuuc of scmnnt1cs chur was u.o;eful in preserving his lw:rnnve endmsement pordolio, wbich at tlte time wns esiimntcd nt SS millioo n yenr. Still,Johnson'I nonsuspension ruspension o:cemcd ro be tlte first time In his cnreer hewn.• befog held nccoumnble for h18 ru:rions. (111 2012, foUowmg the second foiled rest, he llllSS<-d the Masters during nn ll-w�hiotus,na nbsence Johnson insisted was tho result of bcmg injured in aJetSki mc:ulont.) When he remrned IO ""tion in February-almost six momhs ro the dny niter he hnd lcft�fohnson sold utl 1he righr lhings, ro SI and othen;, abouthovmg mnrured. He seemed =hed nbom the rcspo1mbilities o( fnthetbaod. In Morch, m his lihh back, be won 1he biw,•c,n:tournnmenrof his camtr, rho IVGC nt Dom!. 1t offered nn easy 1nle ul rcdompaon thn, tlte modin 11pocmed up, bm there wos n dark lining. In the victor's press conference S.1mbcrgcr nsked Johnsoo if lu, had everfuiled • drog re,,'t.Johnson offered a rwo-word nnswer: "No.11,nnks."
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38, ll'OJltltUUllUffD I JU.HI ra.t:o:u
Oner ngain Jolmson wu ska.ting by. Harry Vrudon won a U.S. Op<:n long befora the modern mcdin ng-e-115 yenrs ogo.., to be prc.c.i.sc-but he hod a fundnmentnl undcrslllnding of golf's inner bnnlt� "'rnr this gn.mc1 Va.rdon once snld1 you need, above aJ] things.. to be in a. tranquil frame of miod." Alone bntwcen the ropes.. wotchcd by Ilic world,Joh.n.sonmdirues on odmirnble insnucioncc., bur something is denrly holding him bllclc despite his runnifold physicnl gifts. Spieth put his linger on IL on Sundoyoighr when l1c wns llJll«!d lf pre"ulling nt golf's biggest events OOJJIJ:5 do1\ln m to<'hnique or C!h.orncter. 4 tl1ink both hnvi, to be thl:re," he Sllid_ Docs tbe mess orm•jar chnmplonisltifl" �-onl who n person really ls? "T think n Unto bit, ydlh," Splcth sold. "Or nt least you cnn tlt� S<.tc.md.ly wbnt it11U-mean� to 5omtbody." Those close 10Johnson 1ut1oe ulwa}-s =-.led at his rtbnlty to rebound from disappointment. All htwn., •igning hi• srot�1'lu!.linn Slood nearby. wiping nwny tears Crom behind her nvintor shades. Wayne pru:cd ln circles. "I'm So upset fur him.• ,nid I.he Grcnl Oru, of bl< futurc son-i11-lnw. "He ployed llls hcllrt 0UL He was up. he wos down, he wns bock in Ir. then lt was gone. It stings.• When Johnl!On f111nTiy cntergro, he was the only one smillng. He took Pnulino by the luu,,d, saying, "Hey, bobe. come with me.· They di!ap penred Imo tltc nighL MaybeJohnson CJJn find whru'sJnlssing lltUll' OldC.Our...-.Afu,r an. it ngr,,ed with OllOURTlllllS• siwly mlonted bomberwith a checkmil past,Joluo Daly. Bur St. Andrews is usually I.he dolllll.UJ of golf rO)'lllty.Joncs. Nicklous (twicc),Sew .B'1IJcstcrot, Nick Fnldo nnd Woods (twice) are OJJIODJ; those who ho,.., won the clnre1Jug 1here. Tho quirky, � old linksdcmnnds c:rcal:ivi(l',whichmoJa,s it pcrfoctfor the new U.S. Open cllJllnp.AsSpit'tb snid in hi$ chnrmlng wuym, Sunday,"I\'< pr(n't'Jl ro rnyscl(thnt 1 cnn win on a BrhlslHtylegolf cour,;c. Now I lllkc ii W the truest Bcltl.&h-stylc gotr course of nny In rlle \\i,dd." SpittbjolnsCrnlg Wood. Ben Hog11.n,A rnoW Palmer. Nicklous and Wnods in wtn.nfog tl1e Masters nnd tl1< U.S. Open In the snmc Y""r; only llul!"n,in 1953. went oo l0 tultc the British Open. Spieth dep:tr1ed Clunnbers Bny looking 10 make more history.11te man lJc vw,quishcd wolkt-d nwny still trying 10 llnd bl.mscll o "'
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