In a major accomplishment for the golf maverick and the US PGA, Dustin Johnson has won the 2020 US Masters. The 36-year-old broke the score-to-par record at -20 by the eighteenth hole on Sunday.

Johnson is also the only player in Masters history to card two rounds of 65 or better. His final lead of five shots was previously earned by Tiger Woods in 1997 and Sir Nick Faldo in 1996. Johnson’s win comes just weeks after he was forced to withdraw from the ZOZO Championship after contracting Covid-19. His Masters win becomes his 24th PGA Tour Win in total, with a noticeable run of major-less wins throughout his career.

Australia’s Cameron Smith finished equal runner-up with Korea’s Sungjae Im with a tie at -15, followed by America’s Justin Thomas at -12. The -20 score by Dustin Johnson demonstrates his dominance at Augusta National Golf Club and asserts his place as the world number one. Other noticeable top-ten finishers included McIlroy (-11), Koepka (-10), Rahm (-10) and Simpson (-9). The US $11.5 million prize fund granted Johnson US 2,070,000, and the runners up Smith & Im US 1,102,000 each, while Thomas won US 552,000. 

Fanless US Masters

The 2020 US Masters looked very different from previous years. Covid-19 forced the tournament to be delayed from its usual place in April to November, and there were no paying fans admitted to the tournament. 2020 marked the 84th edition of the prestigious tournament. It is expected that the 85th edition will return to Augusta for its usual spot in April 2021, although uncertainty surrounds international fans attending due to rising Covid-19 cases in the U.S. There are hopes that an effective vaccine will enable fans to attend the US Masters for its 85th anniversary.