#Dustin Johnson’s Travelers victory puts him in elite golf company

CROMWELL, Conn. — It’s easy to under-appreciate Dustin Johnson for how consistently good he is — one of the most consistent players in the history of golf.

Johnson overcame a two-shot deficit entering the final round of the Travelers Championship on Sunday at TPC River Highlands, shot an eventful final-round 67 and won for the 21st time in his career.

As impressive as that number 21 is, this one is even more significant: The win gave Johnson at least one victory in each of the past 13 years, a feat only the Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Billy Casper and Lee Trevino ever accomplished in the game.

“Winning 13 years straight on the Tour is a pretty big accomplishment,’’ Johnson said. “Anytime you’re mentioned with those guys — with Tiger, Jack, Arnie — you’ve got to feel good about that because they’re the best that’s ever played this game.’’

Who would have figured that a player like Johnson — whose game can be volatile thanks to some famous brain freezes over the years — would be one of the most consistent players ever?

Because of his demeanor, which can best be described as flatline, Johnson looks like he goes about his business on the golf course as if he doesn’t care whether he finishes first or 61st.

Nothing ever seems to bother him — something he refuted with a smile after his career-low round of 61 on Saturday when he said he feels stress on the golf course “a lot more than you think I do,’’ and adding, “I just try not to show it.’’

Well, he does a good job of that.

Johnson has had plenty of calamitous incidents in his never-a-dull-moment career to put that skill to work.

(See: the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he lost a three-shot final-round lead and shot 82; the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he grounded his club in a bunker he thought was waste area and was penalized two shots, costing him victory; and the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, where he missed a 3-foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff with Jordan Spieth.)

On Sunday, Johnson nearly added the 2020 Travelers to his list of memorable final-round implosions.

Just when it seemed he was in control, he nearly threw it all away.

Johnson began the day at 16-under par and was paired in the final group with Brendon Todd, the 54-hole leader at 18-under. While Todd was parring the first 11 holes, Johnson shot 4-under on the first 10 holes to seize a two-shot lead.

Then came the 12th hole. That’s where the tournament was decided. Or so we thought.

Todd, who would finish with a 75, pushed his approach shot to the right of the green, drawing a horrible side-hill lie on a grassy bank, bladed his wedge over the green and took triple bogey.

When they walked to the 13th tee, Johnson had a five-shot lead over Todd and a three-shot lead over eventual runner-up Kevin Streelman, the 2014 Travelers winners.

With the tournament seemingly well in hand, Johnson proceeded to pull his tee shot out of bounds on No. 13 and take bogey, leaving himself with a two-shot lead.

After a bounce-back birdie on 14, Johnson nearly made a mess of the short par-4 15th hole when his tee shot came to rest a foot from the lake, forcing him to take off his shoes and socks and stand in the water for his second shot. Because the hole is so short (297 yards), Johnson saved par.

Then, after an hour-long weather delay, he sent his tee shot on the par-3 16th into a bunker and bogeyed that hole to fall to 19-under par, one shot ahead of Streelman, who was playing in the group ahead of him.

“I don’t know what was going on with my tee balls today,’’ Johnson said. “I wasn’t driving it good all day … but I found a way to get it done.’’

Indeed, Johnson was at his best on No. 18, where he piped a 350-yard drive — the longest of the day on the hole by 15 yards — to the middle of the fairway, leaving 86 yards to the flag. A wedge to the middle of the green and two putts and he was a winner for the first time in 2020, extending his incredible streak of consistency.