There is never going to be another Tiger Woods. Full stop. The “next Tiger Woods” discussion never should have existed, however bright Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth or Jason Day or Bryson DeChambeau (jk) shone. It was never fair to those players and it was an insult to Tiger. He was an outlier, a supernova, and a once-in-history talent. But that’s what the we do — who is next in line in golf? We did it after Jack and we’ve done it with Tiger’s career on the ropes or in the ground, depending on whom you ask.
2017 WGC Dell Match Play results: Dustin Johnson wins again and is on a Tiger-like streak
The big-hitting DJ should roll to the Masters as the favorite following his third straight win, his second straight WGC, and a restatement of his world No. 1 ranking.
We’ve now got the disclaimer out of the way. Dustin Johnson will go into the Masters on a first quarter heater that we haven’t really seen since Mr. Woods. He overwhelms opponents and fields full of the best in the world in a way that can approximate a B+ version of Tiger. He should be a heavy favorite at the Masters in a way that we haven’t seen since Tiger. The odds don’t mean much for his actual chances, but it’s indicative of what we’re watching from a talent that we’ve always wanted, and probably expected, to be this dominant.
DJ drove a Mack truck through the WGC Dell Match Play bracket this week, at one time nearly having won 50 percent of the holes in his seven matches between Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. It was his third straight win, his second straight WGC title, and a total reaffirmation of DJ as the No. 1 player in the world in a time when that title has walked through a revolving door. He’s piling up world rankings points, money, and big-game Ws at the strongest events on the PGA Tour. The numbers were just absurd over three-round robin pool play matches and four more single elimination matches in two double-session days on the weekend.
The final was billed as this heavyweight fight between the up-and-coming Jon Rahm, a 22-year-old that has competed on the toughest Tour in the world from the moment he turned pro. Rahm put a scare in to DJ a few weeks ago at the last WGC, momentarily taking the lead from him on Sunday at the Mexico Championship. He’s been incredible in his first two WGC appearances and is probably on the path to a couple decades of worldwide wins.
It did not look like much of a fight for the first two hours, but Rahm did provide the kind of test that had us drooling at the match on paper. He went 5-down through the first eight holes — so this was a boat race. But the Spaniard somehow pushed this match to the 18th hole. He looked totally lost on the front side, hitting wayward drives, blowing putts, and seeming a bit psyched out by the No. 1 in the world. Then he pulled it together and started going for broke on the back nine, trying to drive greens and make a desperate comeback. At the 10th, he murdered one 438 yards off the tee. DJ is widely regarded as the best driver in the world. He’s stupid long. He hit one 424 yards at the 10th. He was 14 yards short of Rahm.
It was downhill and downwind and blah blah blah. 438 yards!
At the 13th hole, Rahm watched DJ play it safe with his big lead and then ripped one clear across the water and got it to stick on the green.
Rahm then dropped one on top of the flag at the 15th, poured in two bomb putts, and blasted a punch shot through the trees for a birdie at the 16th that cut the deficit to just one-down. It was almost as impressive as DJ’s win, and Rahm, playing the 18th for the first time this week, hammered a driver to and over the 18th green some 350 yards away.
Unfortunately for Rahm, someone slammed a port-o-john bathroom door right as he went to make his chip shot and the ball came up woefully short, all but eliminating the chance for the birdie likely needed to push it to extra holes. DJ steadily two-putted for his par and his third straight PGA Tour win.
The talent has always been there for DJ. Everyone who watches the game or covers it with even the slightest interest is aware of it. It became cliche to say he was the best “athlete” golfer in the world (did you know he can dunk a basketball!?). And the ability exceeded that athleticism. But there was always some major championship heartbreak, slip-up, or wasted opportunity that seemed to frustrate those covering the game more than DJ himself.
Now he’s got a major championship, the top ranking, no holes in his game, a relentless workout routine (two visits per day to SoulCycle apparently!), and looks like the unstoppable force we wanted but weren’t sure we’d ever get. Rory and Jordan and Jason and Phil and Rickie and everyone else will be there, too, but the way things stand right now, it’s hard not to love DJ in a Tiger-like way at the Masters.
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