Johnson
won't repeat blunder on Whistling Straits return
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[March 10, 2015]
By Bernie McGuire
MIAMI, (Reuters) - Dustin Johnson holds
bitter memories of Whistling Straits and has promised to avoid a repeat
of his blunder five years ago when he returns to the shores of Lake
Michigan for the U.S. PGA Championship in August.
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The 30-year-old American won the elite WGC-Cadillac Championship at
Doral on Sunday, his first victory since taking a six-month break
from golf to seek help for "personal challenges", to climb to
seventh in the world rankings.
Johnson's triumph has given him the belief he can go on to secure a
breakthrough first major title, after unluckily losing out to
eventual winner Martin Kaymer of Germany at the 2010 U.S. PGA
Championship.
"I played well five years ago at Whistling Straits but I won't be
grounding my club anywhere I shouldn't be grounding it," he told
reporters in Miami.
The Wisconsin venue has more than 1,000 bunkers, several of which
would normally be deemed 'waste areas' where a player can ground his
club, but a local championship rule states that all sand areas
should be played as hazards.
Johnson was leading by one shot at the U.S. PGA when he was handed a
two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a waste area at the
72nd hole.
"Standing there over my second shot at 18 on that Sunday I didn't
think I was standing in a sand trap," he said.
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"There was just so much spectator rubbish in that bunker like candy
wrappers, a Gatorade bottle, beer cans and all kinds of stuff
including plenty of foot prints.
"Generally on a tournament golf course people should not be standing
in a sand trap but then I just happened to miss the memo that said
all sand was deemed as a bunker," added Johnson.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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