Dustin Johnson endured a fair amount of opposition on Sunday at the Travelers Championship. As obstacles to his march to a first victory of the season, he had to confront his competitors, the weather, and the caprice of golf that never fails to inject drama into an event.

Despite these barriers, the tall man from the coast was successful in holding off Kevin Streelman and others, and completed a weather-delayed, one-shot victory at TPC-River Highlands. For the quintessence of what led to the denouement, have a read of the words of the sage himself.

1. “Obviously coming off of an injury, or surgery last fall, and then only playing a couple tournaments before our shutdown, so I didn’t really get a lot of golf to get back in a rhythm, and then coming out — like I said, I probably wouldn’t have played Colonial — if it would have been a normal season I wouldn’t have played there because I just wasn’t ready.”

To set the stage, with all that has transpired in the great and small worlds that we inhabit, Dustin Johnson’s September scoping of the knee was forgotten. Did you remember? DJ served well at the Presidents Cup in December, but had not played since his operation in 2019’s ninth month. After the quarantine layoff, it’s evident that golfers felt compelled to enter events that should not have figured into their schedule, for the mere opportunity to compete, deoxidize the swing, and acclimate to the absence of gallery presence. Also, is Colonial Country Club a DJ-type of course? This pundit suggests not.

2. “Yeah, obviously hitting the provisional, the second tee ball for that hole, I knew I had to hit a good one, and I did. You know, made a nice bogey there and then came right back and made birdie on 14.”

While it’s more likely that a professional golfer will make a birdie-for-bogey on a par five, after hitting a tee ball OOB, it’s still a feat of physical and mental fortitude. Johnson’s tee ball at the par five 13th, a 300-yard hybrid, was barely outside the playing venue. Thus did decree the rules of golf that he reload, hitting three from the tee. His storied composure was on full display, as he ripped the provisional into the heart of the fairway, reached the green surrounds with his fourth, and got up and down for six.

3. “Obviously you’re in the moment, you’re playing, you’ve already played 15 holes, and then you’ve got to stop and wait to go finish. 16 was a tough pin over there, but obviously I wasn’t trying to hit anywhere near it.”

I’m not certain that Dustin Johnson employs a mental coach. His vibe, his chill, his snoreless sleep under pressure, is one of his trademarks. And yet, should he employ such an expert, for situations like this one? Someone who lays out a game play for the entry into a delay, the time spent in the delay, and the return to play? It’s worth consideration. Folks like to debate the number of major titles that this behemoth should have won. How many times were those potential major wins derailed by a mental error? Might have been on Thursday or Friday, but not everyone has a Phil-on-the-last-hole “I’m such an idiot” moment. Often, those mental implosions occur much earlier, at an equal cost, in an event. I’m not your expert, DJ, but someone might be.

4. “Supposed to hit that ball right in the middle of the green and have a 30-footer, but got a little greedy and tried to squeeze it over there to the flag and didn’t hit a great shot.”

As he returned to play, after the hour of lightning postponement, Johnson was faced with a straightforward play on a tricky par three. He bit off a bit more than necessary, and got a chunk of food stuck as a result. The ensuing bogey halved his lead over Streelman, and made the final 800 yards a bit dicier. Johnson mentioned that his return from the delay, to a par three hole, was different. Why should it be, for professionals and amateurs? What is it about a tee ball on a par three, versus playing a shot to the fairway on a longer hole, that makes us elevate our expectations and our blood pressure? Have a look at TPC-River Highlands. Would you rather have the tee shot on 16 or the one on 17, on the heels of a delay?

5.  “I wasn’t driving it good, wasn’t driving it really good all day … Today I didn’t hit many fairways, and that was the big difference … I hit a 3-hybrid [on 15 tee shot] very poorly. I don’t know what was going on with my tee balls today.”

During his post-round interview, the champion mentioned his inability to drive the ball as he would have liked. Three times, he mentioned his struggles. And not with just the driver. Other options were simply not there, and this only a day after driving the ball exquisitely, on his way to a career-low round of 61. Sunday saw gritty performances from Kevin Streelman, who made nary a bogey and finished solo second, and from Will Gordon, who rebounded from a Saturday struggle with a Sunday 64, to move into a tie for 3rd, a career best. It was Johnson, though, with all the swirling tension, who was grittiest of all.