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A month after testing positive for COVID-19, golf number one Dustin Johnson won the Masters with a record score.
Johnson finished the 84th Masters at 20 under par with a total of 270 to break the previous tournament record of 18 under par, set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and equaled by Jordan Spieth in 2015.
It was the 36-year-old American’s first Masters victory and means he is the first world number one to win the tournament since Woods in 2002 and the first world number one to win a major since 2014.
Golf legend Woods, who was also competing, donned Johnson’s green jacket at a ceremony inside the Butler Cabin at the Augusta National Club in Georgia, USA.
Johnson said: “It feels like a dream.
“When I was a kid dreaming about winning the Masters, having Tiger put the green jacket on, it still seems like a dream, but I’m here. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Originally intended to take place in April, the Masters was delayed until November due to the pandemic and looked very different with only a select few fans, far from the usual Augusta crowds.
But Johnson said, “I feel the same, whether the fans are here or not.”
“I like having them here. They bring excitement, especially when they are cheering you on, they can help you.
“I miss you, and I hope we can see you in April.”
His victory was a bit more subdued than it would have been with fans around, as he hugged his brother and caddy, Austin, was kissed by his fiancee Paulina Gretzky, and was congratulated by past winner Bubba Watson, in his own green jacket. .
“I always dreamed of having one of those,” he told Watson.
“Now I have one.”
Just a month earlier, Johnson had to isolate himself in a Las Vegas hotel room after testing positive for COVID-19. He had minor symptoms and wasn’t sure where he picked it up.
After a shaky start, he ended with a five-shot victory over Australia’s Cameron Smith and South Korea’s Sungjae Im.
Some questioned whether he would make it after failing on his solid leads at the 2010 US Open after taking a three-shot lead in the final round, but collapsing to 82.
And in 2015, he made three putts from 12 feet on the 72nd hole at Chambers Bay to finish a shot behind Jordan Speith.
Johnson eventually clinched his first major title at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, but fell from tie first to eighth at Shinnecock Hills two years later and failed to convert a one-shot lead at the US PGA Championships in August.
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