At the 2026 U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson briefly looked like he was ready to compete in a major for the first time in years. Then, the second round on Friday, June 19th was a disaster after just five holes.
After making birdie on No. 10 to move within one stroke of U.S. Open leader Windham Clark, Johnson completely lost his form and found himself in a situation where he might need a late push to get out of contention and into the weekend.
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The sequence began with a double bogey on the par-3 11th, where he put his tee shot into a bunker, only to watch his subsequent bunker shot fall into the sand thanks to the tricky green at Shinnecock Hills. After consecutive bogeys, Johnson’s rounds began to fall apart.
1 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
The U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills, setting the stage for golf’s most demanding major championship.
Watch the opening round as players move around the course and the leaderboard begins to form.
Above, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a shot from the 13th tee during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
1 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
The U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills, setting the stage for golf’s most demanding major championship.
Watch the opening round as players move around the course and the leaderboard begins to form.
Above, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a shot from the 13th tee during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
2 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts after missing a putt on the third green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
3 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Amateur Eric Lee (USA) hits a shot from the 16th tee during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Mike Mulholland, Getty Images)
4 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Sam Burns of the United States looks on from the 13th green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Andrew Reddington, Getty Images)
5 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Alejandro Tosti of Argentina hits a shot on the first hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
6 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
James Nicholas of the United States steps off the 6th tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Mike Mulholland, Getty Images)
7 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
U.S. amateur Myles Russell heads to the first green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club on June 18, 2026 in Southampton, New York.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
8 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Brooks Koepka of the United States watches from the second tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
9 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Amateur Hamilton Coleman (USA) hits a shot from the 13th tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Andrew Reddington, Getty Images)
10 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Scottie Scheffler of the United States watches from the seventh green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
11 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Tommy Fleetwood of Great Britain lines up his putt on the 13th green during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Andrew Reddington, Getty Images)
12 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Scotty Scheffler of the United States lines up his putt on the first green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
13 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a putt on the 10th green during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
14 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Scottie Scheffler of the United States watches from the 13th hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
15 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Ludwig Oberg of Sweden smiles on the 15th green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club on June 18, 2026 in Southampton, New York.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
16 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
JJ Spahn of the United States and his caddy discuss the shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
17 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Peter Uihlein of the United States hits a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
18 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Adrian Dumont de Chassard of Belgium hits a shot from the 9th tee during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Cliff Hawkins, Getty Images)
19 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
U.S. amateur Eric Lee hits a shot on the 9th hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
20 / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Keith Mitchell of the United States hits a shot from the 13th tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
twenty one / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Rickie Fowler of the United States watches from the second tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
twenty two / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Amateur Jackson Koibun (USA) prepares to hit a shot on the third hole during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Cliff Hawkins, Getty Images)
twenty three / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Ben James of the United States hits a shot from the 13th tee during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club on June 18, 2026 in Southampton, New York.
(Warren Little, Getty Images)
twenty four / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a putt on the 18th green during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, June 18, 2026.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
twenty five / twenty five
Capture the best moments from the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (left) and England’s Tommy Fleetwood head to the 18th tee during the first round of the 126th US Open at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on June 18, 2026.
(Kate McShane, Getty Images)
US Open Cut Line Tracker: Expected lines live, big names at risk
All of this culminated with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par-4 15th hole after Johnson fell into another bunker. His adventure began with a bunker shot that rolled from bunker to bunker again. The second bunker shot hit the lip and rolled onto the sand. The third bunker shot went well over the green.
In the end, it took Johnson six shots to complete the final 61 feet of the hole. By the time he finished No. 15, he had gone from 4 under to 4 over for the tournament.
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Johnson, who plays at LIV Golf, is 10 years removed from winning the 2016 U.S. Open. He hasn’t finished inside the top 15 in a major since 2023. He bounced back with a birdie on the 16th and might be ready to play this weekend.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dustin Johnson’s U.S. Open unravels after brutal 5-hole collapse
