Nov. 15 (UPI) — Dustin Johnson won the 2020 Masters in record-setting fashion Sunday, capturing his second major championship with the lowest score in the tournament’s history.
Johnson overcame early jitters and protected his third-round lead with a 4-under 68 on the final day at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia to win his first green jacket and the $2.07 million prize for finishing first. It marked his first major win since the 2016 U.S. Open.
Johnson, the top-ranked golfer in the world, finished at 20-under 268 to break the 72-hole scoring record at the Masters. The previous mark was 18-under par, set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and matched by Jordan Spieth in 2015.
Johnson’s five-shot victory was the largest at the Masters since Woods’ 12-stroke win in 1997. Johnson also became the first No. 1 player in the world to win the Masters since Woods in 2002.
The 36-year-old Johnson, who hails originally from Columbia, S.C., had his four-shot lead reduced to one through five holes in the final round. He opened with a birdie on hole No. 3, but bogeyed his next two holes as the field inched closer to him.
But the red-hot Johnson, who won the Tour Championship and The Northern Trust earlier this year, responded with two birdies before the turn and added three more on the back nine to pull away from runner-ups Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im.