AUSTIN, Texas – In his first event since winning the WGC-Mexico Championship, world No 1 Dustin Johnson said on Tuesday that he won’t have any trouble finding new motivation this week.
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is the only World Golf Championship Johnson hasn’t won. In fact, until last year he hadn’t even really contended at the event, a run that included five first-round losses in eight starts.
“There at Dove Mountain, I played a lot of one-rounders,” he said of the event’s previous venue in Arizona. “I went to Dove Mountain a lot and went home on Wednesday afternoon.”
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But a new venue, Austin Country Club, and format, round-robin play for the first three days, gave Johnson new life in the event last year, when he advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Louis Oosthuizen.
“At least I get three chances to make it through here. So I do like that. It makes it a little more fun for the guys,” Johnson said.
Johnson plays Webb Simpson on Day 1 in Austin and Jimmy Walker on Friday. He beat Walker, 2 and 1, on Day 3 to advance to the Sweet 16 last year.