After struggling in Hong Kong because he might've had 'a rib out,' Dustin Johnson rallies

Now in his 40s, Dustin Johnson is getting to the age where pain seem to surface out of nowhere, sometimes even just after a good night's rest.

For example, the two-time major champ woke up the morning before the opening round of 2025 LIV Golf Hong Kong with something feeling amiss, and that manifested itself in an ugly opening-round 75. He rallied for a 64 in the final round, but still finished dead last as Sergio Garcia and Fireballs GC went on to claim the victory.

"I actually had really good practice leading into Hong Kong, and then it felt like I was swinging real well," he said. "Woke up Friday morning and I don't know if it was a rib out or something was in my right shoulder, and then I wasn't swinging really well on Friday and Saturday.

"Then kind of loosened up, and I swung a little bit better on Sunday. Then, kind of obviously kept that going through this week. But yeah, nothing changed, other than I feel like I'm swinging a little better. Body is moving better."

Dustin Johnson of 4Aces GC hits a shot from the 16th tee during the first round of 2025 LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club.

DJ was uncertain exactly what happened prior to the tournament, but he knew it detracted from his performance.

"I couldn't turn my head to the right," he said. "It kind of just pulled when I was on the through swing, so I was hitting everything left. It wasn't a whole lot of fun."

But whatever was ailing the 2020 Masters champ early on during the Hong Kong event has clearly subsided for LIV Golf Singapore.

During Friday's opening round, Johnson had his best round since making the move to the Saudi-backed circuit, finishing with an 8-under 63 to take a three-shot lead in the second day of play.

What exactly was working for Johnson on Friday at Sentosa Golf Club?

"Kind of everything. Obviously when you shoot 8-under, you've got to be doing everything well. But drove it well, hit a lot of really nice iron shots, and then holed a few putts," he said. "The greens are really good, so as long as you kind of get it in the range where you can make some, you hit good putts, they're going in. It was just a really solid day. Kind of gave myself a lot of opportunities and never really got out of position."

Sebastian Munoz of Torque GC is 5 under and closest to Johnson while a group of eight are deadlocked for third at 4-under 67, including Brooks Koepka, who won this event in 2024.

As for Johnson, is there anything he looks to change heading into the weekend?

"Just same thing," he said. "Hit the fairways, and then once you get in the fairway, figure out where you want to hit it on the green. Just keep working on the same things I am right now."

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson shines after rib injury

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After struggling in Hong Kong because he might've had 'a rib out,' Dustin Johnson rallies

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