The world’s top-ranked golfer dominates en route to first green jacket
Dustin Johnson won the Masters golf tournament on Sunday. He came into the tournament ranked as the number one golfer in the world, as well as appearing in his 11th Master’s tournament. While it was his first time taking home the green jacket, Johnson was able to make some history along the way.
Australia’s Cameron Smith and South Korea’s Sungjae Im tied for second, five strokes back from Johnson. Both Smith and Im set the record for the lowest score by a non-winner. The 15 under par they both shot would have won all but the previous six Masters.
Johnson entered the final round with a four-shot lead, the fifth time in his career that he led a major championship after 54 holes. However, the previous four, including the PGA Championship just three months ago, ended with him looking up at someone else on the leaderboard.
After struggling early, Johnson was able to steady himself and separate from the rest of the field. His score of 20-under-par made history, beating Tiger Woods and Justin Speith’s Masters-record by two strokes.
It wouldn’t be the Masters without a little bit of drama, however, as Johnson bogeyed holes number four and five to give Smith and Im a glimmer of hope. This cut their deficit to just two strokes at the time. But Johnson was able to bounce back with birdies on holes numbers six and eight and then reeled off three straight midway through the back nine to ease any doubt.
Johnson was able to rack up the accomplishments as he became the third golfer to win a major championship at 20 under par. He also became the first golfer to win the Masters by at least five strokes since Tiger Woods in 1997. Finally, he only carded four bogeys over 72 holes, beating the previous Masters champion’s low by one.
Smith was able to make some history of his own, as he became the first player in Masters history with four rounds in the 60s, yet he still wasn’t able to catch Johnson (who shot a 70 in the second round).
“I proved to myself that I do have it because I’m sure a lot of y’all think… Or, even I – there was doubts in my mind, just because I had been there. I’m in this position a lot of times. Like, when am I going to have the lead and finish off the golf tournament or finish off a major?” Johnson said in his interview after the win.
The 2020 Masters certainly delivered a feel-good story along with a highly entertaining product. Dustin Johnson finally proved that he is the best golfer in the world and that he could play his best golf when it mattered most.