Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away

OAKMONT, Pa. — So much about Dustin Johnson returning to Oakmont is about reliving past glory. He won his first major championship at the U.S. Open under extreme and bizarre conditions that allowed him to exorcise so many demons in the majors and become the best player in the world.

That was nine years ago.

The question now is how much golf he has left.

''I think I've got another six years in me,'' Johnson said, contemplating the question only briefly before coming up with a most arbitrary number. ''I can grind for another six years. And then I'm going fishing.''

Recent results would suggest he already has one line in the water.

Johnson already has a Hall of Fame career with his 24 titles on the PGA Tour, two majors, the only player to sweep the World Golf Championships, one of only five players to have been No. 1 in the world for more than 100 weeks. He turns 41 in two weeks.

Why grind?

''Because I want to get back,'' he said. ''Because I know I've still got it.''

Johnson was the biggest name to sign with Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022 when the golf world was turned upside down. He was on the fringe of contention that summer at St. Andrews and the next year in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He won in each of the first three years on the rival circuit of short fields (54 players) and short weeks (54 holes).

The last 16 months have made him feel like an afterthought. He has not finished among the top three on LIV in his last 20 events. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors. He tied for 10th last week on LIV, which he considered progress.

''I feel like my game's been really close," he said. ''I haven't really got a lot out of it. So it was definitely nice to have a nice finish last week. I played good every day. I didn't ... you know, still kind of giving away some shots. I need to clean that up a little bit."

There is rarely any urgency to anything Johnson does, and that six-year window comes with a caveat. He has two more years left on his 10-year exemption from winning at Oakmont in 2016. Next month will be his last free pass to the British Open from his 2020 Masters victory. He needed a special invitation to the PGA Championship this year.

Johnson has played only one non-major since joining LIV. That was the Saudi International at the end of last year. He missed the cut.

Yes, Oakmont seems like a long time ago.

Few players have endured more misfortune in the majors and have been able to shake it off. There was the 82 in the final round at Pebble Beach in the 2010 U.S. Open. He was knocked out of a playoff at Whistling Straits that year in the PGA Championship for setting his 4-iron into sand where spectators had been sitting. That was deemed to be a bunker.

He had a 12-foot eagle putt to win the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, only for it to slide some 4 feet by on a green that had hardly any grass. He missed the birdie putt and finished one behind Jordan Spieth.

His mental toughness is underrated. Imagine playing the last seven holes of a U.S. Open not knowing the score because the USGA was trying to decide whether to penalize him for a ball that moved on the fifth green of the final round at Oakmont. Johnson played on, not giving it another thought, winning by three after he was assessed one penalty shot in scoring.

''That Sunday was a little weird,'' he said.

Chaos would have been another word to describe it. That's not in Johnson's vocabulary even though it seems like it should be.

Ask almost any PGA Tour loyalist which LIV player they miss seeing, and Johnson's name is at the top of the list.

''There have been two guys since 2010 that I thought in full flight, I loved watching them play. And it was Rory (McIlroy) and DJ,'' Adam Scott said.

Scott recalled a morning round at Riviera in the cool Pacific air. They were playing the 13th, which bends to the left around the eucalyptus trees. Scott hit a perfect draw. Johnson unloaded his high cut over the trees, a carry of nearly 310 yards in the heavy air.

''I just thought, ‘That is insane.' Just the freedom he played with and the freedom of the swing and athleticism,'' Scott said. ''And then he gets up and hit a three-finger 7-iron, super soft, a buttery shot after pounding one. Super impressive.''

Those were the days. Those are the memories, all while Johnson is trying to believe he can create new ones. He is running out of time.

And that's OK.

When not on LIV — and not fishing — he is home with his two boys, Tatum and River. The latter was born on the Monday before Johnson's U.S. Open title defense at Erin Hills. He says he would have withdrawn if he wasn't the defending champion. He missed the cut.

Back then, a missed cut at a major was rare.

Now he is searching for a good week of driving, like he had at Oakmont in 2016. He is playing with Spieth, his longtime partner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Those were fun days.

''It's always good to play majors. It's the only time to see the other guys,'' Johnson said. ''We've got a good group in LIV, but I don't get to see everybody. Hopefully, things will kind of come back together somehow.''

Within six years? Johnson was asked if he could see himself on the PGA Tour Champions if it ever got sorted out.

''I've always said if I'm playing the Champions tour, something really, really went wrong," he said, breaking into a big smile before adding, ''But with me, there's always that chance.''

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