ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Dustin Johnson’s first formal news conference since his rushed exit from the United States Open was set to begin, but there was a problem with the audio. Johnson sat at the dais Monday for a couple of awkward minutes staring blankly at the crowd, his smile dimming with each sweep of the clock’s second hand.
Once the problem was fixed, the British Open moderator turned to Johnson and thanked him for his patience. Johnson sighed audibly. His recent history in majors has been a crash course in forbearance: Including his tie for second last month at Chambers Bay, Johnson has four top-eight finishes in his last six major starts.