Sport

Golf: World number one wins US Masters

09:08 am on 16 November 2020

World golf number one Dustin Johnson has won the Masters at Augusta National in emphatic fashion to secure his second major title.

American Johnson, whose previous major triumph came at the 2016 U.S. Open, shot a four-under-par 68 to reach 20 under for the tournament, five strokes clear of Australian Cameron Smith and Im Sung-jae of South Korea who tied for second.

World golf number one Dustin Johnson. Photo: Photosport

Johnson's total is the equal-lowest under-par score in major championship history, while Smith is the first player ever to shoot four rounds in the 60s at the Masters.

Johnson, didn't get to enjoy what would have been a magnificent reception from the gallery at the 18th green.

Instead, he received polite applause from the several hundred people allowed on-site, with paying patrons absent this year due to coronavirus restrictions.

The victory will go a long way to cementing 36-year-old Johnson's reputation as a pre-eminent player of his generation.

He previously won the 2016 U.S. Open, but before this tournament 0-4 when leading into the final round at majors and had a reputation of frequently not rising to the occasion in the biggest moments.

Among his near misses was a tie for second behind Tiger Woods at last year's Masters.

Woods slumped to a tie for 38th finishing at one under for the tournament having posted final round four over par 76 largely due to scoring his highest single-hole score as a professional.

He his three balls into the water for an ignominious 10 at the famous par-three 12th hole.

It was his highest score on the hole by four shots. In 89 previous rounds at Augusta National, he had never had worse than triple-bogey at the 12th.

In fact Woods had never had worse than a triple-bogey on any hole at Augusta.

-Reuters