On a day when high winds made a mockery of The Open’s schedule and blew away everything in sight, American Dustin Johnson showed remarkable calm in the storm and held on to his lead at the end of a delayed second round Saturday.
The athletic American was a victim of the R&A’s decision to start the round at the scheduled time in atrocious conditions, and was one of the several players whose ball on the green was picked up by the wind and pushed far away.
That happened on the par-5 14th hole and resulted in an unlikely bogey – on a hole where Johnson would have been expected to make a birdie – before play was called off at 0732 (1032 UAE time). The wind finally came down to playable limits at 2100 hours UAE time.
The R&A had already decided it would be only the second Monday finish ever in the history of the tournament (the last time was 1988 at Royal Lytham), and the 31-year-old Johnson put himself in a great position to win his first major title.
With a round of three-under par 69, he was at 10-under par at the halfway stage, one ahead of England’s Danny Willett and two better than local favourite Paul Lawrie.
Johnson played his last four holes on resumption and closed with a birdie on the driveable 18th hole.
“I’m very pleased with my score in Round Two,” said Johnson.
Dustin Johnson is the leader after the second round. Will history repeat itself? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/uD7CqOUTcH
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2015
“I guess yesterday, when we started the round, it was difficult on the way out, and then coming back in, it played even more difficult. Then this morning when we started, it was almost impossible, but I managed to hang on in there.
“And then, when we just went out and re-started, it was very tough again, but I managed to make some good pars and then birdie the last hole. So it was a good way to finish the day.”
It was thought Johnson would be upset on giving up the shot on the 14th, especially in view of his final-hole three-putt bogey to lose the US Open last month, but he was a picture of calm.
In fact, he was even a bit philosophical when asked about the incident when his ball rolled off the green, thanks to the wind.
“Fortunately, it happened in the end part of the second round, so we’ve still got a lot of golf to play,” he said.
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“It is what it is. Can’t do anything to change it. But I came back strong and played one-under after that to the clubhouse on three difficult holes.
“I’m not the only one to whom that happened to, so it’s nothing to worry about now. It’s over with.
“I may have been angry a little in the morning. I don’t know…everyone was out there, so it wasn’t like I was the only one on the course. No, I wasn’t angry. I was almost laughing because the ball was just blowing across the green.”
Lawrie, playing in a group behind Johnson, closed with five pars to finish with a round of two-under par 70. Willett had already finished his second round on Friday, which meant he had the full day off.
The last Scotsman to win a major, the Open in 1999, Lawrie said he was not even entertaining thoughts of what could happen from this position.
Dustin Johnson is your new clubhouse leader at -10. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/tKSH3dS1tA
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2015
“Haven’t really thought that far ahead to be honest. I’ve always prided myself on kind of you are where you are, as opposed to where you would like to be,” said Lawrie.
“It’s just the halfway stage, there’s 36 holes to go and lot of world-class players in there. I think if you start getting ahead, you start making mistakes and tripping up.
“My only thoughts are to go to the first tee tomorrow, pick my line and make a good swing, and then you move on to the second shot.”
The 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen missed a short birdie putt on the final hole to join Lawrie at eight-under par, but remained one shot behind the Scotsman following rounds of 67 and 70.
As per the revised schedule, the third round will now be played Sunday, followed by the final round Monday.
