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| -twenty D Johnson (United States); -fifteen C Smith (Aus), S Im (Kor); -12 J Thomas (United States); -eleven R McIlroy (NI), D Frittelli (SA); -10 B Koepka (United States), J Rahm (Spa) |
| Others selected: -6 T Fleetwood (English); -5 J Rose (English); -4 I Poulter (English), D Willett (English); -3 B. Langer (Ger); -2 B DeChambeau (United States); -1 T Woods (United States), P Casey (English), L Westwood (English) |
World number one Dustin Johnson won his first Masters title by five strokes and finished with a 20-under record at Augusta.
The American hit a four-under 68 on Sunday to hold off Australia’s Cameron Smith and South Korea’s Sungjae Im.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy’s brief attack came too late, as he finally completed nine shots in the fifth tie.
Defending champion Tiger Woods loaded a 10 at par three 12 but bounced back with five birdies to finish one under.
Pre-tournament favorite Bryson DeChambeau, who won the US Open in September, endured an erratic week and a final day of 73 put him two below par for the tournament.
World number three Justin Thomas finished fourth at 12 under par after hitting a double under 70 on the final day.
Johnson’s excellent performance during this unprecedented staging of the Masters in November saw him break the lowest winning score record of 18 under par set by Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015.
He also becomes the first number one in the world to win the tournament since Woods in 2002.
Smith, who finished tied for fifth in 2018, made history by becoming the first player to shoot all four of his rounds in the 60s at Augusta.
Imperious Johnson conquers Augusta
Johnson looked comfortable from the moment he arrived at Magnolia Lane this week, joking with reporters, his favorite Masters tradition is sandwiches. Pepper cheese? Just all of them …
Of course, though, the poker-faced American revealed nothing as he stayed off the field to win his second major title, four years after his US Open victory, with hardly a hint of excitement.
Johnson had provided the calm after Thursday’s thunderstorms delayed play on an otherwise frantic leaderboard that briefly saw nine players tied for first on Saturday.
The foundation for his victory was laid with a starting 65 that gave him a share of the lead, and he had another 65 on Saturday to become the first player in Masters history to accomplish such a feat and join Spieth as the only men to reach. at 16 under par after three rounds.
He’s not a character to turn the crowd into a frenzy like Woods’ last year, nor is he one to portray the pantomime villain as 2018 champion Patrick Reed, so perhaps the first green jacket is fitting. Johnson will arrive in a quiet Augusta National. without patron.
Not that the American would have been disturbed by the roars that generally echo through the Augusta pines.
This was the best player in the world serenely producing sensational golf in one of the game’s most iconic settings.
He made a great par-save on two and birdie on the third, but successive bogeys followed as the impressive 22-year-old Im and Australian Smith applied pressure.
Johnson has failed to win major titles four times after holding a 54-hole lead, but his steely focus never wavered when his lead was reduced to one after five holes.
The 36-year-old recovered with a birdie at the sixth par three when I made his first bogey of the day and another birdie at eight saw Johnson overtake Smith by two as he headed for the last nine.
Smith, in the front group, had been fighting superbly, but he did an 11 bogey to give the leader a three-shot lead once again.
Johnson came to Augusta after winning the PGA Tour FedEx Cup and in great shape despite missing two tournaments while in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19.
He successfully negotiated Amen Corner with a birdie at 13 and did so three in a row until 14 and 15 to accelerate to 20 under par.
There was finally time for a beaming smile as he tapped for par at 18 to complete his impressive victory with a handful of applause from the lucky few gathered around the green.
McIlroy’s challenge is too late
McIlroy posted three rounds in the 60s at Augusta this week, but they came after the world number five started with a 75.
Had it not been for his first-round struggles, the 31-year-old would surely have been in the running for a first green jacket and a chance to become the sixth player to win a Grand Slam in his career.
After rounds of 66 and 67, the four-time Major winner followed up with a 69 on Sunday that included four birdies, a bogey and an impressive par-save after finding the water at 15.
“I will look back on this week and regret what happened,” he said. “After 75 I played well, I had to shoot a good score to be here for the weekend and I played solid.
“I wasn’t really thinking about trying to win the tournament. When I hit 11 under and DJ was at 15 under, I thought ‘maybe’, but then the wind picked up.
“Hopefully we will return to a normal Masters in a few months, but I will try to adopt this attitude and this approach.”
Tommy Fleetwood finished highest among the English contingent at six under par, with two-time runner-up Justin Rose at five under par and 2016 champion Danny Willett one stroke further back alongside Ian Poulter.
Tiger Imperfect 10
Woods returned to Augusta with the intention of winning a sixth green jacket, but it was no longer in dispute when he played in Sunday’s final round.
It didn’t stop the 15-time Major League Champion from producing one of the tournament’s most notable moments when he hit a 10 at par three Golden Bells.
Woods’ tee shot rolled back from the green into Rae’s Creek, as did his third shot after landing, and then hit the water again after exiting a bunker.
The 44-year-old then produced a sensational five birdie spell over his final six holes to hit a four-over-76 and finish the week one-under.
“This is unlike any other sport where you’re so lonely and you have to figure it out and you have to fight and no one is going to call a substitute and you just have to solve it, and I did it coming in,” Woods said.
“That is part of our sport. That is what makes this game so unique and so difficult mentally. Unfortunately, we have all been there.”
Much of the pre-tournament hype surrounded the great DeChambeau, but the US Open champion struggled to find form this week with rounds of 70, 74, 69 and 73.
The American made an eagle on the 13th Sunday and made two birdies, but his round also included three bogeys and a double as he finished the tournament at two under par.
American Andy Ogletree, 22, claimed the low amateur award.
