Johnson sets Masters scoring record en route to 5-shot victory
With a performance befitting the world's top-ranked golfer, Dustin Johnson finally captured that elusive green jacket.
The 36-year-old fired a final-round 68 on Sunday to reach 20-under and shatter the Masters scoring record, blowing away the field with a five-shot victory over Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im.
Johnson topped the previous mark of 18-under by Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods and became the sixth player on the PGA Tour to go wire-to-wire at Augusta National.
The 24-time PGA Tour winner, who grew up 75 miles away in Columbia, South Carolina, was absolutely dominant all week. He finished the event with just four total bogeys, the fewest ever by a Masters champion.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard finished:
| Place | Player | To Par | R4 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dustin Johnson | -20 | 68 |
| T2 | Cameron Smith | -15 | 69 |
| T2 | Sungjae Im | -15 | 69 |
| 4 | Justin Thomas | -12 | 70 |
| T5 | Rory McIlroy | -11 | 69 |
| T5 | Dylan Frittelli | -11 | 72 |
Johnson entered Sunday with a four-stroke lead but saw that dwindle to just two after back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. However, that provided the only drama on the day, as Johnson immediately birdied the sixth and eighth holes to reestablish his dominant advantage.
After navigating the difficult 11th and 12th holes in even, the only question remaining was whether Johnson would set the new scoring mark at Augusta. He answered that emphatically with three straight birdies from holes 13 to 15 before parring in to finish at 20-under.
Johnson's win comes in his 10th appearance at the Masters. His worst showing since 2014 was a tie for 10th in 2018, and he finished just one shot behind Woods in last year's tournament.
The win culminates an incredible run of golf for the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder, who hasn't finished outside the top six at an event since the start of August. Here are his last eight results:
- WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational: T12
- PGA Championship: T2
- The Northern Trust: Win
- BMW Championship: 2
- Tour Championship: Win
- U.S. Open: T6
- Houston Open: T2
- The Masters: Win
Johnson won't have to wait long to defend his title at Augusta, as the 2021 Masters starts in just 144 days.