Dustin Johnson Shows Promise at US Open Despite Inconsistency

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Dustin Johnson briefly rekindled memories of his major championship form during the opening round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, stringing together four consecutive birdies in a golden hour of golf just before twilight Thursday. The flurry moved the LIV Golf captain into a tie for the lead, suggesting the former world number one might finally be contending again in a major championship after years of struggle.

The resurgence proved fleeting. After his four-birdie run through the fourth hole, Johnson's round unraveled with missed opportunities and costly mistakes. A poor chip and missed putt on the par-5 fifth hole, where playing partner Wyndham Clark made eagle, was followed by a three-putt double-bogey on the sixth that dropped him four shots behind Clark when the first round was suspended by darkness. Johnson finished the day in a seven-way tie for second, needing to complete three holes Friday, beginning with a 3½-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh.

For Johnson, now 41, the moment carries particular significance. His 10-year exemption to the US Open, earned by winning at Oakmont in 2016, expires after this year. Since joining LIV Golf four years ago, Johnson has largely faded from major championship contention, missing six cuts in 14 majors while other LIV players—Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau—have captured major titles. Before Thursday, he was listed as a 200-1 long shot to win. His last major championship victory came at the November 2020 Masters, which now feels like a relic from a different era in professional golf.

Johnson's history with major championships is marked by heartbreak and near-misses. In 2010, he held the lead after three rounds at Pebble Beach before playing two holes in 5-over par in a memorable collapse. Two months later, a rules violation at Whistling Straits cost him a chance at a playoff at the PGA Championship. A three-putt on the 18th at Chambers Bay in 2015 cost him another US Open to Jordan Spieth. His eventual breakthrough victories at Oakmont in 2016 and Augusta in 2020 felt overdue after years of near-misses.

During Thursday's round, Johnson demonstrated occasional flashes of brilliance, hitting his first 11 fairways and producing drives of 403 and 330 yards on consecutive holes. Playing alongside Clark, the two former champions seemed to elevate each other's games, reaching 4-under par together before Johnson's collapse on holes five and six. Whether Johnson's strong start represents a genuine resurgence or merely another false dawn in his major championship quest will become clearer as he completes the first round and continues through the weekend.