What had been a theme-less 2016 will now be remembered as the year that golf’s nearlymen finally broke through for their first major title.
Resounding victories in the past month by Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson offer hope to the frequent contenders who were thought to be too damaged and scarred by their past failures. After years of wilting under pressure, they each played boldly on their Open Sundays, authoring the most stirring performances of the year and shifting the narratives of their underachievement.
Uber-talented but enigmatic, Johnson had won every season as a pro but also endured a checkered history with on-course blunders and off-course recklessness.