Dustin Johnson seemed to get over his U.S. Open loss very quickly

One putt. Two putts. Three putts.

Just like that, the U.S. Open had slipped away from Dustin Johnson and into the hands of Jordan Spieth.

Johnson reached the par-5 — that day, at least — 18th hole at Chambers Bay outside of Tacoma, Wash., in two. He was 8 feet or so away from a 72nd-hole eagle that would give him the U.S. Open, his first major title, and a chance to shed the vexing label, in some circles, of being the best golfer in the world without a major title.

It was a tricky eagle bid, one, frankly, unlikely to go in the hole. However, a simple two-putt would land Johnson a spot in what seemed like an inevitable 18-hole Monday playoff with Spieth. Coax it down, tap it in and play for another day.

Johnson was too aggressive with the first putt, letting it slip by some 3 feet. He didn’t take a whole lot of time over this most crucial of short putts and, sure enough, he missed it. Spieth won his second major of the year thanks to a three-putt par. Yet again, Johnson had come up short in a major. First it was Bunkergate at the 2010 PGA Championship. Then it was a 2-iron out of bounds on the back nine of the final round of the 2011 British Open. The third time was supposed to be the charm. It wasn’t.

The South Carolina native looked upset, more stunned than anything. He seemed to find comfort in his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky, and their infant son. Nonetheless, how could Johnson get over yet another crushing defeat?

Like he always has.

AP writer Doug Ferguson relays what Johnson’s future father-in-law, hockey legend Wayne, told him about how Johnson handled the day after that Chambers choke. The family went to Idaho, a familiar spot, for some decompressing. In the morning after the Open, Gretzky teed it up with some buddies. On the second green, Gretzky turns back toward the tee to see a golf cart coming toward him. Johnson was in it, wondering why no one had told him about the morning round.

The Great One was stunned.

”I know this much,” Gretzky said. ”If I ever lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I wouldn’t want to skate with a bunch of amateurs the next day.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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