Mr. DJ wins 2020 masters at 20-under

MANILA, Philippines — Top-ranked Dustin Johnson won the Masters in record-smashing fashion on Sunday, capturing his second major title with the lowest total score in Augusta National history.

The 36-year-old American, known for keeping his cool on the course, was in tears after winning the green jacket only an hour’s drive from where he grew up.

“It’s a dream come true,” a crying Johnson said. “As a kid I always wanted to become a Masters champion. It’s just incredible. I never have this much trouble gathering myself. On the golf course I’m good at it.”

No one in Masters history was better as Johnson, whose other major victory came at the 2016 US Open, fired a four-under-par 68 to finish on a Masters record 20-under-par 268.

That was good enough for a five-stroke triumph over South Korean Im Sung-jae and Australian Cameron Smith with third-ranked American Justin Thomas fourth on 276.

Johnson’s score in relation to par matched the lowest in major history and smashed the old 72-hole Masters mark of 18-under 270 set by Woods in 1997 and matched by Jordan Spieth in 2015.

It was an incredible turnaround for a player who missed his planned Masters tuneups after contracting Covid-19 last month, returning only last week with a runner-up effort in Houston.

Johnson, who began with a four-shot edge, had never converted a 54-hole major lead into a title, stumbling at the 2010, 2015 and 2018 US Opens and in August’s PGA Championship, where he settled for a runner-up spot.

That hex ended Sunday, but not without some early drama as Johnson’s lead fell to one midway through the final round.

Tiger Woods, a five-time Masters winner and 15-time major champion, found Rae’s Creek three times on his way to a septuple-bogey 10 at the par-3 12th, his worst score ever on a major hole. He responded with birdies on five of the last six holes to close on 76 and finish on 287.