It sucks to lose, admits Johnson

This week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is again billed as a ‘Celebration of Links Golf’ but there was no hiding American Dustin Johnson’s bitter disappointment declaring simply it “sucks to lose” the Ryder Cup.

Johnson, along with namesake Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner was the only three Team USA players to win their singles matches in a shock one-point loss to the Europeans.

And while the South Carolina-born Johnson was affable enough on the St Andrews practice range, he’s now determined to make amends in 2014 at Gleneagles.

“It was a tough pill to swallow and it definitely sucks to lose,” said Johnson.

“But it was a great week and great for TV though what a match it was and it’s just that the Europeans outplayed us on Sunday.

“Personally, I had a great week. It was a lot of fun and you know, we went there as a team and we lost as a team.

“Hopefully, we will get them in two years time at Gleneagles.”

Aside from seeing a few more putts drop, Johnson believes there is nothing more his USA team could have done better last Sunday.

“I don’t think the team or Captain Love could not have done a better job,” he said. “We had a 10-6 going into Sunday and everything we did, I thought was right, and Captain Love just did a great job and it was a lot of fun playing for him.

“When I look back on it, the only thing I can come up with is that it wasn’t meant to be.

“Phil (Mickelson), Jim (Furyk) and Steve (Stricker) had so many putts over the last few holes that looked they were going in the hole, and were such great putts, but they just did not go in.

“There was Steve’s putt on 17 and Jim’s putt on 18 and if Jim hits that same putt 10 more times, it’s surely going to go in nine times.

“It just looked like it was in the hole all the frickin’ way and lipped out. You look at the Europeans and they had putts lipping in. They were holing 50-footers. Paul Lawrie chips in and that was hard to combat as they just had the momentum on their side.

“There were six or seven of those putts and if just one of those putts dropped then it was a totally different outcome. It seemed that it just wasn’t meant to be.

“So I am not upset about it and it does stings a little bit but we had a great time. The team was great and we had a lot of fun, we’ll get them next time.”

And while Johnson admits he would have liked to see Tiger Woods and Francesco Molinari end their match on the fairway at 18, he was full of praise for the sportsmanship shown by the 14-time Major champion.

“I don’t have any problems with Tiger conceding the putt because at that point in the afternoon, the match was over and when Tiger and Francesco were standing in the middle of the 18th fairway it was already over,” said Johnson.

“So I thought that they both should have conceded but then it was good sportsmanship on Tiger’s part.

“It’s obvious there is nothing between the two teams and we have a great team, and it just didn’t go our way on Sunday, and simple as that.

“When it comes to Sunday, it’s a case of we don’t want to lose and they also don’t want to lose, so that’s golf and shit happens!”

Johnson is among four Ryder Cup stars in Scotland this week, joining the European Team winning trio of Paul Lawrie, Peter Hanson and Medinah hero, Martin Kaymer.

Also competing is Paul McGinley — favourite to lead Europe in 2014 — along with defending Dunhill champion, Michael Hoey.