It Was Fun While We Had Him: DJ Pivots On Distance Regulation

Long ago--December 2017 actually--Dustin Johnson had joined the bifurcate camp when discussing the matter with Golf Channel's Todd Lewis. The comments came as Tiger was more outspoken than ever on the harm distance jumps have had on the footprint of golf.

Well the world's No. 1's views pivoted this week in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Championship and just days after nearly making a 433-yard (give or take) hole-in-one. Will Gray looks at DJ's shift for GolfChannel.com:

"It's not like we are dominating golf courses," Johnson said. "When was the last time you saw someone make the game too easy? I don't really understand what all the debate is about because it doesn't matter how far it goes; it is about getting it in the hole.

He did offer some hope that he understands a well-handled rollback would still allow him to shine:

"If the ball is limited then it is going to limit everyone," he said. "I'm still going to hit it that much further than I guess the average Tour player."

Perhaps the viewpoint shift came after he read Claude Harmon's Golf Digest My Shot, where DJ's instructor vented about distance rollback talk.

I'VE WATCHED DUSTIN JOHNSON spend three hours a day in the gym, seven days a week. When he's out on tour, there are no days off. I've watched him pay the price. To want to roll back equipment and put him and guys like him in a box, so they're confined to old benchmarks, drives me nuts. Is there another sport as determined to go backward as golf? Dustin is almost a physical freak to begin with, 6-4 and unbelievably strong and coordinated. When he hits a 9-iron 185, the TV commentators usually react with a laugh and an incredulous tone, as if it's the equipment more than the unbelievable clubhead speed and technical precision. It's just wrong.