DJ is Definitely Number One

Well, shut my mouth. I put my money on Jordan Spieth to win at the Northern Trust. I went with his past record with the lead and the power of his putter. All I can say now is that it was a good thing I didn't bet the house on it.

In golf, just like most everything else, there are no sure things. It ain't over until it's over. But we got to see first hand the advantage that power can give you in this game. That drive over the lake by DJ in the playoff gave him a huge advantage over Spieth. There is a distinct advantage to coming in with a lob wedge instead of a seven iron; particularly if you've honed your wedge game the way DJ has.

But perhaps the most impressive thing for me was DJ laying up from the rough on eighteen in regulation play, and then making a huge putt for par. That showed maturity and intelligence, as well as guts. DJ read the lie and made his decision without delay. It turned out to be the right decision. But had he failed to make par, or had Spieth made birdie, it would have opened him up to be criticized for not "going for it." Whether he thought of that or not is probably irrelevant. The fact is it actually took guts in that case to lay up. Sometimes, it's easier to just go for it than it is to take your medicine and lay up.

Speaking of taking your medicine, Steve said the other day, after I had commended him for laying up, that it was better to take your medicine than to risk an operation later. An ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure in this old game. So, we learned a lot about DJ yesterday. Not only is he a beast off the tee, he's got that five and a half inches between his ears working just fine. He is definitely number one.