Johnson’s major meltdown is agony of defeat

As time passes, Jordan Spieth will be properly celebrated as the U.S. Open winner. He deserves the praise, and he will get credit in the history books. But sometimes, in the aftermath of a stunning finish, it’s more about who lost it.

Spieth said he thought he had lost it. Dustin Johnson proved him wrong with a three-putt debacle that will be remembered as the signature moment of the tournament.

Just before sunset Sunday, 12 feet from victory on the 72nd hole, Johnson was set to win in dramatic fashion. What followed felt like a funeral.

“I was getting ready to put the playoff up,” said Jeff Sherman, golf oddsmaker at the Westgate Las Vegas sports book.

With a seemingly simple two-putt, Johnson would have forced a Monday playoff with Spieth. Johnson tapped a downhill eagle putt about 4 feet by the hole, and then blew the most important putt of his life.

“That’s crazy,” Sherman said. “I didn’t think there was any chance at all he was going to miss that.”

We have seen this crazy stuff before, and not that long ago. This was Russell Wilson throwing an interception from the 1-yard line in the last minute of the Super Bowl, a stunning finish that will haunt the Seattle Seahawks for years. Just as the New England Patriots got lucky, so did Spieth. Final-round meltdowns in golf majors are not uncommon, but this was a final-minute meltdown that will haunt Johnson for years.

“He put himself in position to win and didn’t even walk off with a playoff,” Sherman said. “I feel bad for the guy.”

Feel worse for those who bet on Johnson, who was locked in a four-way tie with Spieth, Jason Day and Branden Grace going into the final round.

Agony is a big part of gambling and golf. Eventually, the sting of a loss goes away. Johnson has a fiance, Paulina Gretzky, who’s as hot as a June afternoon in the desert. He’s got a young son. He’s got Wayne Gretzky in his corner. He’s got a good life. As Johnson stalked the 18th green at Chambers Bay, the Gretzky family was prepared to celebrate. Spieth was signing his card and biting his nails.

“Johnson walked around that thing seven different times,” said Brian Blessing, a Las Vegas handicapper and radio host (Sportsbookradio.com). “He was so worried about the line that he rapped it 5 feet by the hole. I can’t believe he hit it so far by. That’s the one thing you couldn’t do.”

Blessing bet Johnson at 23-1 odds. He also bet Louis Oosthuizen at 120-1. Oosthuizen, eight strokes back with seven holes to play, mounted a remarkable charge to tie Johnson for second. Those are agonizing bets to lose.

“Here’s the betting angle,” Blessing said. “Does Johnson come back and blow people away or is he a clown?”

Right now, he’s the clown. And Spieth is a popular winner. The public supported him before his Masters win in April and did so again. Spieth was the 8-1 second choice at the Westgate, behind Rory McIlroy at 7-1.

“We lost a little bit on it,” Sherman said. “We had liability on Spieth and McIlroy. The public is behind Spieth. Every time he tees it up, we get a ton of action on him.”

The links-style layout in University Place, Wash., drew a ton of criticism and whining from players and fans for its unpredictably fast greens. It was a tough test, which is what a U.S. Open should be, and the world’s best players found the leaderboard.

I liked the course — it was outside-the-box thinking — and it created a compelling final round. Sherman, who did not like the course, said the wagering handle was the largest he has seen on a U.S. Open.

Phil Mickelson, a sentimental favorite, fell by the wayside on the weekend. Tiger Woods hacked his way to an 80 in the opening round, finished 16 over par and missed the weekend. Tiger, who once had the world and several porn stars by the tail, has become the butt of jokes.

Woods probably deserves 100-1 odds in the British Open at St. Andrews in July. Sherman said he will open Woods at around 50-1 or 60-1, with Spieth and McIlroy likely 5-1 co-favorites.

“I don’t think anyone who follows golf thought Tiger had a chance this week,” Sherman said. “He did play well at Augusta, but he’s been crap since. St. Andrews has similar characteristics to Augusta, and he’s going to fare better at St. Andrews. There would be people who bet him at 100-1 because it’s Tiger Woods at triple digits.”

Grace, as high as 150-1 in the U.S. Open, was tied with Spieth for the lead before driving out of bounds on the 16th. That was an agonizing long-shot bet that I lost. Grace and Adam Scott, a former UNLV player, finished two strokes back in a tie for fourth.

Spieth has two major wins at 21. Johnson has another major meltdown on his resume.

“That would have been a hell of a playoff with those two guys,” Sherman said.

When you’re playing for money, there are no gimme putts.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.