Dustin Johnson, USA

The talented TaylorMade player is widely regarded for his powerful drive and was ranked third for his distance from the tee for three consecutive years between 2009 and 2011. Johnson held a one shot lead entering the final round of the 2010 PGA Championship, but slipped to fifth place after incurring a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker.

At the 2011 Barclays tournament, Johnson saw off competition from compatriot Matt Kuchar to take the crown after opening the final round with back-to-back birdies. Poor weather conditions - notably the occurrence of Hurricane Irene - shortened the competition to 54 holes after the third day just hours before the storm would hit at Plainfield Country Club. However, Johnson was able to show off his fine form before the rain struck to shoot a 29 on the front nine holes for the second consecutive day, while playing this part of the course in 17-under-par for the week. The tournament saw Johnson move up to number four in the official world rankings, as he enjoyed the fifth victory of his career, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods to win in each of his first four years on the PGA Tour after graduating from college.

Having sustained a back injury off the course, Johnson was forced to miss part of the 2012 season, but returned to the PGA Tour in May, winning the FedEx St Jude Classic just a couple weeks later. The golfer’s fine form continued in 2013, when he won the season opener, Hyundai Tournament of Champions. In November of the same year Johnson won his first World Golf Championship at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, finishing three-strokes ahead of the defending champion, Ian Poulter.

Johnson continued to be a player to watch throughout the 2014 season, finishing T4 at the U.S. Open in June. But at the end of July the TaylorMade player made an announcement he would be taking a leave of absence from golf, effective immediately. Johnson cited personal issues as the reason and stated he would also be unable to play in the Ryder Cup later that year.

Johnson returned to competitive play on the PGA tour in February 2015. After missing his first cut back at the Farmers Insurance Open, the American went on to record Top-Five finishes in his next two events before winning the WGC - Cadillac Championship at Doral in March.

By 2016 Johnson remained one of the top performers on the PGA Tour. Racking up six Top-Ten finishes in his first ten events. In June Johnson finally secured his first major win. Winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont amidst a rules controversy that led many to question the USGA’s handling of a penalty stroke handed to Johnson after the final round. On the fifth green, Johnson’s ball appeared to move as he was about to address it. The TaylorMade player immediately stepped away and called over a rules official to explain he had not yet addressed the ball, with playing partner Lee Westwood corroborating Johnson’s story. At that time the rules official agreed that no penalty would be given. However when he was later leading the tournament he was approached on the 12th tee to be told the incident would be looked at again after he finished the round to assess whether or not a penalty was in fact needed. In the end it didn’t matter, Johnson was able to hold his nerve to finish the day with a 68. Even after he was given a 1-stroke penalty for the incident on the 5th the American still won at Oakmont 3-shots clear of his nearest competition.