US golfer Dustin Johnson has won the Masters, shooting a 68 in the final round to finish at a record-breaking 20-under-par and win the pandemic-delayed tournament by five strokes.
The 2016 US Open champion claimed his second major, and his first Masters title. He is the 12th player to win without ever trailing at the end of any round.
The 20-under 268 broke Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth’s records, set in 1997 and 2015 respectively, of 18-under after four rounds at the Masters.
Australia’s Cameron Smith (69) was second at 15-under, tied alongside Sung-jae Im.
Johnson went into the final round at 16-under, holding a four-shot lead over Smith, Im and Abraham Ancer.
But the 36-year-old matched or bettered all his championship rivals over the final 18 holes, shooting three birdies on the back nine to move well clear of the pack.
Johnson teed off on the 18th with a five-shot lead, and was able to enjoy the walk down the last with a smaller than usual crowd made up of players’ guests — fans had not been allowed to attend Augusta due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith, the 27-year-old Queenslander, may not have been able to catch Johnson to win the tournament, but he made history by becoming the first player to shoot all four rounds in less than 70 shots.
Smith shot 67, 68 and two closing 69s.
He played some incredible shots, including a brilliant birdie on the par-four ninth, where he hit out of the pine straw and trickled it onto the green where it rolled down to less than a metre away.
More to come.
AP/ABC
