Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Dustin Johnson hasn’t played a whole lot of golf lately but he is hoping to use the FedEx St. Jude Classic to get himself rounded into form for the U.S. Open next week. D.J. has been battling a nagging back injury, having only played three competitive rounds since the Masters in the middle of April.
Coming to TPC Southwind following a hiatus caused by back problems has not been an issue for Johnson in the past. He won this event last year after essentially taking three months off to heal a bad back. He must be holding out hope that a similar situation will produce similar results because he hasn’t played very well since returning to competitive golf in 2013.
Despite the difficulty he has had shaking the rust off, Johnson had a nice year going for himself before the back problems. He is still ranked fourth in driving distance, seventh in eagles, eighth in birdies and 37th in scoring average. He has two top 10’s on the year, including a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start the year and a T4 at the Shell Houston Open.
You can never count out the defending champion at any event. The biggest question this week is not whether or not Johnson can conquer the golf course, but rather if he can stay healthy enough to finish the event. He withdrew from the PLAYERS Championship before missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament when he was clearly not himself.
I expect Johnson to have a decent, but far from spectacular performance this week. He is likely more concerned with getting his game in shape for the U.S. Open next week than with winning this week.
Carl Conrad is the Senior Golf Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
