Typically, opening a major championship with an even-par first round sets a player up nicely for the next three days. But Dustin Johnson's 70 on Thursday in his first round at the 2011 British Open was far from typical.
2011 British Open Leaderboard Update: Dustin Johnson Plays Exhilarating Even-Par First Round
Johnson started and ended his front nine with bogeys on the first and ninth holes, then dug himself an even deeper deficit with two bogeys in his first three back nine holes to fall to 4-over through 12.
Then Johnson wiped all that away and then some with a phenomenal stretch of 5-under play on four consecutive back nine holes, with three birdies bookending a hole-in-one on the par 3 16th.
Johnson would subsequently bogey the 18th, giving him an even-par 70 with a scorecard that has more symbols than some art museums. And given how fluky his bit of great play was — it’s extraordinarily unlikely that anyone will be 5-under over four consecutive holes for the rest of the week — it’s probably not a good idea to extrapolate from this round.
But no one can claim that Johnson rescuing himself from the lower realms of the 2011 British Open leaderboard wasn’t fun.
For more 2011 British Open news and results, stay with this StoryStream, visit SB Nation’s golf hub, and check out our golf blog, Waggle Room.
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