I started playing golf when I was in middle school, and while I have never been particularly good at it, I have certainly enjoyed many, many rounds on the links with my friends over the years. Although I haven’t played lately, I’m still an avid golf watcher, and my favorite golfer in the last ten years has clearly been Dustin Johnson!

Dustin grew up in Irmo, went to Dutch Fork High School, and was an All-American at Coastal Carolina University. He has already won 23 PGA Tour events, with the latest being his greatest win thus far: the FedEx Cup Tour Championship, which concluded on Monday at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta. On Sunday and Monday, I watched every shot Dustin made and put in at least 8 hours watching him win the biggest payday in PGA tour history–$15 million!

Dustin grew up as a member of our stellar South Carolina Junior Golf Association, which has sent many South Carolina natives to the PGA and LPGA Tours. In my opinion, however, Dustin is the best golfer ever to come out of the state of South Carolina! When he is “dialed in,” as my friend Harry Bell commented to me yesterday, he is virtually unbeatable, and he is young enough that the best is yet to come! Dustin will take a short break, then next week he’ll be playing in the US Open Championship, which he won in 2016. After that, the Masters is set to be played in November, and he’s likely to be the favorite in both of these major tournaments!

Finally, it should be noted that Dustin does not just take his money and go home. He supports many charitable projects, namely the Dustin Johnson Foundation, which provides opportunities for youths to learn, play, and contend on the golf course.

Go DJ! Hit ’em straight!