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Top-ranked Dustin Johnson won the Masters in record fashion Sunday, capturing his second-lowest-scoring major title overall in Augusta National history.
The 36-year-old American, known for keeping his cool on the field, was in tears after winning the green jacket just an hour’s drive from where he grew up.
“It’s a dream come true,” Johnson said in tears. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to become a Masters champion. It is simply amazing.
“I never had so much trouble putting myself back together. I’m good at it on the golf course. “
No one in Masters history was better as Johnson, whose other major victory came at the 2016 US Open, shot a 68 four-under to finish with a Masters record 20-under 268.
That was good enough for a five-shot win over South Korean Im Sung-jae and Australian Cameron Smith with American Justin Thomas, third in the rankings, fourth with 276.
Johnson’s score relative to par equaled the lowest in major history and broke the old 72-hole Masters mark of 18 under 270 set by Woods in 1997 and equaled by Jordan Spieth in 2015.
It was an incredible change for a player who missed his planned Masters tunings after contracting Covid-19 last month, coming back just last week with a runner-up effort in Houston.
Johnson, who started with a four-shot lead, had never turned a major 54-hole lead into a title, stumbling at the 2010, 2015 and 2018 US Open and the August PGA Championship, where he settled for second place. .
That curse ended Sunday, but not without some early drama, as Johnson’s lead narrowed to one.
Johnson bogeyed back-to-back on fifth and par 3 on sixth, ending a 33-hole bogey-free series to leave me one behind.
“They weren’t bad shots,” Johnson said. “I didn’t let it bother me too much. At six I made a birdie and that recovered me ”.
I fell behind with bogeys at six and seven, Johnson also birdied the par 5 of the eighth and never looked back.
“I was nervous all day,” Johnson said. “I could feel it. The Masters for me was the greatest. It still feels like a dream. I am proud of the way I handled myself and finished the golf tournament. “
Johnson, the first reigning world number one to grab the green jacket since Tiger Woods in 2002, was denied the usual champion roars from viewers as no fans were allowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic postponing the event of your usual April hours.
‘Amazing ability’
After overcoming his initial wobble, Johnson was unflappable with lethal precision and consistency, his birdie streak of 13-15 elevating his week to historic status.
“DJ has an incredible ability to stay calm through tough times,” Woods said. I think there is no one more suitable for that than DJ. “
Johnson’s four total bogeys were the fewest of any Masters champion.
I have the lowest score of any Masters beginner, but I can’t become the first debut winner since 1979.
“My goal was to make the cut,” Im said through a translator. “Finishing tied for second is incredible.”
Smith closed out 69, becoming the first Masters player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s.
“That’s great,” he said. “Very good around here this week.”
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who needed a green jacket to complete a lifetime Grand Slam, pitched 69 to share fifth place with 277, but never threatened Johnson.
Woods Horror Show
McIlroy, unable to rebound from a 75 in the first round, took comfort after a sixth failed attempt to complete the Slam of his career.
“I didn’t get off to a great start, but in the last 54 holes, just two bogeys, a lot of great golf there,” McIlroy said. “Not overthinking it could be the key for me.”
Woods, a five-time Masters winner and 15-time Major champion, encountered Rae’s Creek three times on his way to a seven-fold-bogey 10 at par 3 12, his worst scoring on a major hole. He responded with birdies on five of the last six holes to close at 76 and finish at 287.
“I took way too many shots than I wanted to,” Woods said. “I had many more experiences there at Rae’s Creek.”
German Bernhard Langer, at 63, the oldest to make a Masters cut, shot 71 to finish with 285, a better shot than US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who closed at 73 and never threatened to dominate Augusta. bothered by dizziness.
“I have to fix this dizziness,” he said. “I have to be healthy first and foremost.”
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