Could DJ now be considered a choker?

TC

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after yet another final round collapse (well, not so much of a collapse at the barclays as much as a "blah" type of round) is it safe to say that perhaps Dustin Johnson is somewhat of a choker?

personally, i have to say yes, he can string together 3 beautiful rounds, then slap him in the final group out on sunday and it all changes. he couldn't have made a putt into a 3 foot hole sunday. the young man has tremendous promise and talent but i'm afraid that his 82 in the final round of the US Open did far more harm than we know.

what do you think? is DJ another westwood?
 
This is another very interesting thread. The only thing that makes me say otherwise is his pulling it together at the PGA Championship for a really strong back 9 until a triple on the 18th due to penalty.

The other aspect could be age. He is still young enough to avoid labels in a lot of ways. But so far, you are right, 3 rounds don't make a champion on the PGA Tour.
 
I would tend to not look at his performance at the PGA Championship. The guy had a penalty stroke on the 72 hole, and so we will never know what he might have done if he were in the playoff for that tournament. It's a good thing he didnt sink that putt to "win" it, cause things would have been so much worse.

As for the Barclays, I think Laird choked alot worse than DJ might have. He's definitly had a few chances to win this year, but so have alot of people.
 
I don't think he's a choker. The fact that he came back so strong after two major disappointing and frankly embarrassing moments, lol, shows he's definitely got a heck of a lot of heart. I think, in time, he'll learn how to step away from the moment long enough to get the big win he needs so bad.
 
it's funny how everyone thinks he played well enough at the PGA and that it was just the penalty that kept him out of it, but he's the one who grounded his club in the hazard, i'd call that choking!
 
it's funny how everyone thinks he played well enough at the PGA and that it was just the penalty that kept him out of it, but he's the one who grounded his club in the hazard, i'd call that choking!

I wouldn't call that a choke, but not one of his best moves, lol. Most people excused it for him, but I thought he should have know, he was told about it all week long. He just gets too strung up I think, towards the end of a tournament. How he keeps coming back, I don't know, but I'm a big fan now.
 
I wouldn't call that a choke, but not one of his best moves, lol. Most people excused it for him, but I thought he should have know, he was told about it all week long. He just gets too strung up I think, towards the end of a tournament. How he keeps coming back, I don't know, but I'm a big fan now.

i don't know how he keeps coming back either duey, it just shows you how good he really is....but something does change when he's in that final pairing.
 
i said after the PGA I would be worried about him in a pressure packed event like the Ryder Cup. Forget the penalty on number 18, he needed par to win a major and what did he do with his drive? Put it 40 yards right of the fairway. Pebble beach was a clear choke job. He also shot a 74 to win at Pebble in February to hold off Duval by 1 shot. Currently I would say he is a choker, but he is still young enough to shed that title very easily
 
As for the Barclays, I think Laird choked alot worse than DJ might have. He's definitly had a few chances to win this year, but so have alot of people.

Annoucers kept talking about all the tough putts he was making. I see that as the wheels are already startgin to fall off and he was getting lucky saving himself with the putter. That last putt had miss written all over it. You can't keep saving yourself on everyhole.
 
it's funny how everyone thinks he played well enough at the PGA and that it was just the penalty that kept him out of it, but he's the one who grounded his club in the hazard, i'd call that choking!

It isn't a choke in the "Make an awful swing in a big situation" or having your swing fall apart down the stretch... which many people have pointed out
It IS a choke in the mental department. No question his mind was on the shot and he was not aware of his surroundings. Choke.

The good news for DJ is that he has proven he can keep his swing- he didn't loose his swing, he hit the big shot, he did what he had to (swing wise) when it counted. Now he just needs to work on mental/awareness but the confidence is there that he CAN do it. That is a big deal and I think that is the reason why he may be a chocker at the moment he wont have a career where he is remembered as one.
 
100% agreed
It isn't a choke in the "Make an awful swing in a big situation" or having your swing fall apart down the stretch... which many people have pointed out
It IS a choke in the mental department. No question his mind was on the shot and he was not aware of his surroundings. Choke.

The good news for DJ is that he has proven he can keep his swing- he didn't loose his swing, he hit the big shot, he did what he had to (swing wise) when it counted. Now he just needs to work on mental/awareness but the confidence is there that he CAN do it. That is a big deal and I think that is the reason why he may be a chocker at the moment he wont have a career where he is remembered as one.
 
i don't know how he keeps coming back either duey, it just shows you how good he really is....but something does change when he's in that final pairing.

I'm guessing in time he'll get over it. Hell he's made enough money to afford a mental coach or three, lol.
 
You've got to learn how to win just like you learn how to hit a golf ball.

I don't know that I'd call DJ a choker as much as I might refer to him simply as someone who hasn't quite figured out the end game yet.

Give him time. If he really has what it takes, he'll figure it out.



-JP
 
I was wondering to myself if DJ lacks the ability to close, I think he has to learn to win and play smarter golf. At Pebble he could have used his irons or FW off the tee and stayed safe out of the rough.

IMHO he needs a good caddie to help him mature. I hope he has a long successful career
 
In a word, No. He is far too young to be considered a choker based on his performance to date. Look at Phil's early record of performances in the last group on Sunday. People also did doubt him at the time and I think that was also premature.
 
I was wondering to myself if DJ lacks the ability to close, I think he has to learn to win and play smarter golf. At Pebble he could have used his irons or FW off the tee and stayed safe out of the rough.

IMHO he needs a good caddie to help him mature. I hope he has a long successful career

I think people are forgetting he has won already. Granted not at the highest level, but he has won.

I also think he has a very good caddie. Bobby Brown is very good imho.
 
I think people are forgetting he has won already. Granted not at the highest level, but he has won.

I also think he has a very good caddie. Bobby Brown is very good imho.

i would agree with both statements....that's why i kind of think he chokes a bit. i mean, think about all the press going into the final round of the US Open, they figured he was a lock. he's won at pebble twice, had 5 strokes on the field, and then put on the most gut wrenching display of golf i can remember. i guess choker might be the wrong word...perhaps underachiever.
 
Because of what he has been able to do since the bad final round at the US Open, i.e. give himself two more chances to win big events, I give him the benefit of the doubt. He could have disappeared for a while after the US Open, but he stayed right with it (mostly).
 
I wouldnt say he's a choker. He didnt choke at the PGA Championship, he was just ignorant of the local rules and thats what cost him a chance to win.
 
In a word, No. He is far too young to be considered a choker based on his performance to date. Look at Phil's early record of performances in the last group on Sunday. People also did doubt him at the time and I think that was also premature.

My thoughts exactly...
 
I think its easier to remember the "chokes" or shortcomings then it is the wins. The chokes seemed to be bigger then the wins. I never knew much of DJ till this year but hat final US Open round will stick with me for a long time.
 
I think its easier to remember the "chokes" or shortcomings then it is the wins. The chokes seemed to be bigger then the wins. I never knew much of DJ till this year but hat final US Open round will stick with me for a long time.

that and the fact that he likes to party.....george jung style baby!!!
 
I don't think he's been around long enough and been in position enough to have the choker label yet. But if next year he does the same, then I'd say he's on his way. I hadn't really heard of him until this year.
 
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