Page 21 - ATD 07 October,2015

SPORTS A21
Dustin Johnson back on a team after 2-year absence
United States’ Phil Mickelson waits to tee off during his final practice round ahead of the Presidents
Cup golf tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, in Incheon, South Korea, Wednesday,
Oct. 7, 2015.
DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
INCHEON, South Korea (AP)
— Dustin Johnson hasn’t
lost a match while play-
ing for the United States in
nearly four years.
Part of that is because he’s
very good.
Any discussion about
American talent in golf
would have to include the
31-year-old Johnson, who
has won in every PGA Tour
season since he was a
rookie in 2008 fresh out of
Coastal Carolina. He has
chased majors, falling short
either by bad luck (Cham-
bers Bay), a bad shot (Roy-
al St. George’s), bad golf
(Pebble Beach) or a bad
setup (bunkers at Whistling
Straits).
But there’s another reason
that Johnson hasn’t lost a
match in so long. He hasn’t
played a team event since
the 2012 Ryder Cup at Me-
dinah.
Johnson was left off the
Presidents Cup team two
years ago when he finished
12th in the U.S. standings,
and captain Fred Cou-
ples passed over Johnson
and Jim Furyk in favor of
20-year-old rookie Jordan
Spieth.
“I was pretty (upset) I didn’t Zach Johnson was stunned
get picked,” Johnson said
with a laugh. “Why you got
to bring that up?”
And then last year involved
extenuating, if not myste-
rious, circumstances. He
easily would have qualified
for the team except for tak-
ing an indefinite leave from
golf to seek professional
help from what he de-
scribed only as “personal
challenges.”
Even so, the record shows
that Charl Schwartzel is the
last player to beat him, in
Sunday singles at Royal
Melbourne in 2011. John-
son went 3-0 at Medinah
the following year, one of
only three Americans to win
a singles match in Europe’s
record-tying comeback.
“Even though it’s been a
little bit, it didn’t feel like it’s 50.
been that long,” Johnson
said. “It’s the same guys,
kind of the same team.”
Not really.
Only six American players
are at the Jack Nicklaus
Golf Club Korea who were
on the last team that in-
cluded Johnson. Even last
year, three players who
had been considered reg-
ulars for the Ryder Cup or
Presidents Cup didn’t make
the team.
Wednesday 7 October 2015
that have kept him out of the big-hitting Johnson
the game or kept him from when he checked in at the
playing the game like he team hotel Sunday night
once did. He was last seen after his long flight from Los
in team uniform at Muirfield Angeles, stuck his head in
Village two years ago with the team room to catch
Sammy the squirrel on his up with the rest of the
shoulder. Woods missed a Americans and then dress
big chunk of 2014 recov- in uniform for a practice
ering from back surgery, round that included Jimmy
and he made the cut (with Walker, Chris Kirk and Pat-
only one top 10) in the 11 rick Reed. Those are three
tournaments he played this guys with whom Johnson
year. has never played in a team
It was no less gratifying for competition.q
Associated Press
to hear that Dustin John-
son hasn’t played in these
team events in three years,
until he gave it some more
thought.
“It’s surprising to a degree,”
he said. “It’s just an illustra-
tion of how deep and how
good the PGA Tour is.”
Hunter Mahan was in sev-
en of the last eight team
competitions — he only
missed Medinah in 2012
— and wasn’t even part
of the conversation this
year. Mahan struggled
with a growing family and
his game and missed the
Tour Championship for
the first time since the Fe-
dEx Cup began in 2007.
He ended last year at No.
22 in the world, and now is
struggling to stay in the top
Keegan Bradley made an
auspicious Ryder Cup de-
but in 2012 with Phil Mick-
elson, played on the next
two teams and is fading
from view. Bradley hasn’t
won a tournament since
the Bridgestone Invitational
three years ago.
Webb Simpson missed his
first team this year since
2010.
Tiger Woods has been deal-
ing with his own set of cir-
cumstances, mostly injuries