If you’ve watched golf for more than five minutes, you know Dustin Johnson is basically a human cheat code. He stands 6-foot-4, swings with a bowed left wrist that looks physically impossible, and hits the ball so far it feels like he’s playing a different game. But for a long time, the U.S. Open was his personal house of horrors.
Most people remember the 2016 win at Oakmont, sure. It was a career-defining moment. But to really get why Dustin Johnson and the U.S. Open have such a complicated history, you have to look at the wreckage he left behind at Pebble Beach and Chambers Bay first.
Honestly, it’s a miracle he stayed sane through it all.
The Pebble Beach Meltdown of 2010
Pebble Beach is supposed to be DJ’s happy place. He’s won there multiple times at the AT&T Pro-Am, so when the 2010 U.S. Open rolled around, he was the heavy favorite.
He had a three-shot lead going into Sunday. Three shots! On a course he owned.
Then, the wheels didn't just come off; they exploded. He tripled the second hole. He doubled the third. By the time he walked off the fourth green, his lead was gone, his confidence was shot, and he ended up carding an 82.
An 82.
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Think about that. One of the best players in the world, with a major on the line, shooting 11-over par in the final round. It was brutal to watch. Most guys would have been broken by that, but DJ just sort of shrugged it off in that way only he can. He’s got this weirdly short memory that serves him well when things go south.
Three-Putts and Tears at Chambers Bay
Fast forward to 2015. Chambers Bay was a weird, fescue-covered experiment in Washington state. The greens were bumpy, the "grass" looked like dead weeds, and the players hated it.
Dustin Johnson didn't care. He was striping it.
On the 72nd hole, he hit two of the best shots you'll ever see to reach the par-5 in two. He had a 12-foot eagle putt to win the whole thing. If he makes it, he’s the champion. If he two-putts, he’s in a playoff with Jordan Spieth.
He three-putted.
He missed the three-footer coming back for the playoff. It was a stomach-punch moment. I remember the camera cutting to his fiancée, Paulina Gretzky, and their young son. The look on DJ’s face wasn't even anger; it was just... stunned. He had the trophy in his hands and just dropped it.
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That Wild 2016 Victory at Oakmont
When people talk about the Dustin Johnson U.S. Open win in 2016, they usually lead with the "Rules Controversy."
Oakmont is arguably the hardest course in the world. The greens are like putting on a marble kitchen floor. On the fifth hole during the final round, DJ’s ball moved ever so slightly as he was preparing to putt.
He told the official. The official said "no penalty."
Then, on the 12th tee—roughly an hour and a half later—the USGA told him, "Hey, we might actually penalize you later."
Imagine playing the back nine of a U.S. Open not knowing what your actual score is. It was a total circus. The USGA basically admitted later they handled it poorly, but at the time, it was a mess.
DJ’s response? He just kept hitting bombs.
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He stuck a 6-iron to five feet on the 18th hole, made the birdie, and won by three strokes anyway. Even with the one-shot penalty they eventually tacked on, it didn't matter. He beat the course, the field, and the rulebook all at once. It was the ultimate "shut up and play" performance.
Where Does DJ Stand Now?
A lot has changed since 2016. DJ is 41 now. He’s the captain of the 4Aces GC in the LIV Golf League. He’s made a mountain of money, but his major championship form has been, frankly, pretty spotty lately.
In 2024 and 2025, he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. At the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont—the site of his greatest triumph—he shot 75-75 and went home early. It’s a reminder that even for a guy with his talent, the U.S. Open doesn't give anything away for free.
Recent U.S. Open Results for Dustin Johnson
- 2025 (Oakmont): Missed Cut (+10)
- 2024 (Pinehurst): Missed Cut (+9)
- 2023 (LACC): T-10 (-3)
- 2022 (The Country Club): T-24 (+4)
- 2021 (Torrey Pines): T-19 (+2)
Interestingly, he just signed a multi-year extension to stay with LIV Golf through 2026. Because of his 2016 win, he has a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open, which means 2026 is actually the final year he’s automatically into the field.
Unless he wins another major or climbs back up the world rankings—which is tough to do playing LIV events with no points—he might have to start qualifying the old-fashioned way soon.
The Takeaway for Your Game
Watching the Dustin Johnson U.S. Open saga teaches us a few things that actually apply to normal golfers:
- Short memories are a superpower. DJ didn't let 2010 or 2015 ruin 2016. If you shank a ball into the woods, forget it. It's over. Move to the next shot.
- Tempo is everything. Whether he was melting down at Pebble or winning at Oakmont, his rhythm never changed. Most amateurs swing harder when they're nervous; DJ just keeps that smooth, lazy-looking power.
- Fitness matters. DJ changed the game because he was an athlete first. At 41, he’s still one of the longest hitters out there because he stayed in the gym.
If you want to dive deeper into how DJ’s game has shifted, go back and watch the 2016 final round highlights. Pay attention to his lag putting. Everyone talks about the drives, but his control on those Oakmont greens was the real reason he held that trophy.
Keep an eye on the 2026 U.S. Open schedule. It’ll be the end of an era for his automatic exemptions, and you can bet he wants to go out with one more run at the top.