World No.1 Johnson "First Outing After Recovering from COVID-19"... What About Im Sung-jae?

'Masters Prelude' Houston Open Tune-Up, Griffin Defends Title, Hatton, Koepka, Mickelson Compete for Victory

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson made his first appearance since recovering from COVID-19 at the Houston Open.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The return of world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) is here.

On the night of the 5th (Korean time), the PGA Tour Houston Open (total prize money $7 million) kicks off at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas (par 71, 7,021 yards). This year, with the Masters scheduled for the 12th, the tournament takes on the character of a 'prelude,' drawing even more spotlight. It is also newsworthy that the PGA Tour, which has been holding spectator-free events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is selling 2,000 gallery tickets per day for the first time.

Johnson swept three wins in the 2019/2020 season and was named 'Player of the Year.' With his Travelers Championship victory last June, he achieved at least one win every year since the 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship, marking '13 consecutive seasons with a win.' In August, at the first playoff (PO) event, The Northern Trust, he secured a massive 11-stroke victory (30-under 254), with a second-round 11-under 60, narrowly missing the 'dream 59' by one stroke, leaving some regret.

It is remarkable that he finished 'win - runner-up - win' in the three PO events. Although he finished second after a playoff battle with Jon Rahm (Spain) at the second event, the BMW Championship, he immediately claimed a 3-stroke victory (21-under) at the final third event, the Tour Championship, opening the era of 'Johnson's reign' and hitting the '15 million dollar (1.7 billion KRW) jackpot.' In the 2020/2021 season, he also lived up to his reputation by tying for 6th place at the 120th US Open in September (5-over 285).

He was halted after testing positive for COVID-19 on the 14th of last month before The CJ Cup, and this tournament marks his first appearance after full recovery. For Johnson, tuning his practical shot skills in preparation for the Masters is urgent. The fact that 'No. 2' Rahm has closed the gap to just 0.13 points by finishing second at the Zozo Championship serves as motivation. Tyrell Hatton (England) and Brooks Koepka (USA), both on an upward trend recently, have joined the competition for the title.

Lanto Griffin is defending his title, and veteran Brian Gay, champion of the Bermuda Championship, is aiming for back-to-back wins. The '50-year-old seasoned veteran' Phil Mickelson (both USA) also chose to participate in this tournament instead of the Champions (Senior) Tour Charles Schwab Cup, considering the Masters. The Korean contingent is led by Im Sung-jae (22). Kang Sung-hoon (33), Kim Si-woo (25), and Lee Kyung-hoon (29, CJ Logistics) are also looking for opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.