The 2020 Masters had a bit of a different look. The usual opening Major in the spring was played in November. The usual flowers weren’t blooming at Augusta, but all of the top names were still in contention.
At the end of Sunday, it was Dustin Johnson who won the green jacket. He was the first world No. 1 player to win the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2002.
Johnson won the Masters in dominant fashion, having the lead going into Sunday and never giving it up. He finished at -20, with the closest competitor being Cameron Smith, who finished at -15.
Justin Thomas was among the names atop the leaderboard, but he could never reach Johnson. His -2 on Sunday wasn’t enough to get him in the conversation.
Johnson and his Brother
Golf has a lot of great stories about the relationships between a golfer and their caddy. Perhaps, none is better than Johnson and his brother, Austin.
“It’s unbelievable having my brother on the bag,” Johnson said. “He’s a big help, too. He reads the greens a lot for me. He does a great job reading them. I read them, too, but he definitely helps. He’s really good at it. I just love experiencing all these moments with him. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Austin was not a top caddy when taking the job in 2013, but he has come a long way. He started as being someone for Johnson to talk to and hang out with and has become a huge asset for the world’s top golfer.
Tiger Struggles to End Masters
Tiger Woods opened up the Masters with a -4 on Thursday. He entered the tournament as the reigning champ, and as always, many eyes were on him. It still seemed weird to watch a golf tournament without a large gallery following Woods around the course.
But after the first round, it seemed possible for a repeat. However, Woods shot a combined -1 in his next two rounds, entering Sunday at -5.
He was too far behind to win the tournament but was still in position for a respectable finish. Then, the par 3, 12th happened.
Woods teed off on the 12th hole at +2, struggling to get anything going. After hitting several in the water, he took 10 strokes to finish the hole.
He kept his composure after the tough hole and finished strong, getting a birdie on five of the last six holes to end the day at +4.
“That’s part of our sport,” he said. “This sport is awfully lonely sometimes. You have to fight it. No one is going to bring you off the mound or call in a sub. You have to fight through it. That’s what makes this game so unique and so difficult mentally.”
If you take that one hole out of his round, Woods wouldn’t have finished in a bad spot. Fortunately, golfers won’t have to wait as long for another shot at the green jacket.