Grounded for Life

Before the summer of 2010, Dustin Johnson was known in most golf circles as the extraordinary ball-striker with exceptional sideburns and immense potential. After the 2010 US Open, he became the young man who hung an 82 on the scorecard in Sunday's final round like he was some Northbrook insurance salesman testing out his new set of sticks. After yesterday, he will forever be known as the unfortunate acceptor of a two stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker on the last hole of a 72 hole tournament. But Dustin Johnson's act of humility after the incident Sunday should resonate with the viewers of the PGA Championship more than the results of his chicken-scratched scorecard should. As I sat there and watched the disheartening footage of Johnson changing his score with one of those midget pencils, and listening to his melancholy interview that followed, I thought to myself "Damn, this dude just lost a cool 250 Grrr! At Least!" How is he going to explain to his wife that he bought her a Whistling Straits Dri-Fit T Shirt instead of taking her on a trip to the South of France? How is going to sleep without a generous handful of Tylenol PM knowing that he had a legitimate chance at winning 2 majors this summer and finished tied for 8th and 5th respectively? I guess nobody knows but Dustin himself.

Still, Dustin's placid demeanor is something that must be commended. Even if Johnson wanted to whack the PGA Rules committee officer like Pesci in Goodfellas when that shmohawk kept asking him to shine his shoes, he never let it show on the air. He didn't steal the spotlight from Bubba "Beach Boys in my Bose" Watson and Martin Kaymer, he simply walked away. Although I would have felt even worse for DJ had he made the birdie putt on 18 to give him the tournament win, I have never seen a professional athlete lose hundreds of thousands of dollars so gracefully (Well, I'm sure when Pacman Jones made it rain in the scrip club and guaranteed himself to not be signed by a team for at least 2 years, his BAC had to be high enough to make him graceful, so I take that back). Dustin knew he screwed up, dealt with consequential repercussions and walked away with his caddie, who now had "most lovable loser in golf" pinned on the back of his construction worker vest. (If I was a caddie, I would ask someone why we have to dress like the biggest dorks in sports)

Until Dustin Johnson wins a major and his sideburns shine in the summer sun's rays like a penny on the green, he can now consider himself pre-2004 Phil Mickelson. Even though Dustin can contribute his meltdowns to mental errors, bad shots, and stroke penalties rather than the corpulent man boobs and terrible visors that plagued Phil's championship career for over a decade--he is still going to be watched closer than every other 26 year old golfer on tour. Every summer DJ will have to hear Jim Nantz ask his partner in the soothing tone that only Jim Nantz can, "is this the event for Dustin Johnson?

In a sport like golf, we rarely get to see the personality of the players in what is perhaps the world's most frustrating game. Unless of course you are the most marketable athlete in the world sleeping with porn stars and your 21 year old next-door neighbors rather than your Swedish supermodel wife. In wonderful,comedic sports movies like Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore, we are introduced to colorful, engaging characters that personify the ups and downs of a very challenging game. They give us a glimpse into the realm of professional golfer behavior, however improbable the story-lines of these movies may be and even if they aren't donning Boston Bruins sweaters and blue sweatpants. Still, Dustin's composure in a moment filled with intense frustration should surely be admired as much as Martin Kaymer's win, Happy's putter throw, or Tin Cup breaking nearly every club in his bag and paring the back 9 with a 7 iron. Dustin Johnson represented the world's most gentlemanly game in the only way he knew how--like a gentleman.

As for pick of the day, only one of Pulse Man's picks in the PGA made the cut (Tiger) and I don't even think Hunter Mahan even competed--shows how much time he has on his hands now as a full-time employee at Libertyville High School. Yes, he does more than cafeteria supervision. However, he still won his baseball bet with the Brewers and got to the double digit plateau in wins. For Tuesday night, he likes the Angels and Red Sox to combine for under 8 runs tomorrow behind the pitching of Jerred Weaver and Clay Bucholz. Hopefully you will all be tuned into ESPN mobile gamecast on your Blackberry's.

Pick of the Day: Angels @ Red Sox- UNDER 8 runs

Record: (10-9-0)