London
Dustin Johnson’s record-breaking Masters victory owed plenty to soft November conditions but he also demonstrated qualities that make him close to the complete package as a player. Prodigious hitting was not the only reason he romped to his five-stroke victory, becoming the first Augusta winner to reach 20 under par. Distance was an undoubted asset but more was needed to achieve such a convincing result. All the pre-tournament chat surrounded another big hitter, Bryson DeChambeau, who had been happy to suggest what he might do to the famous Georgia course with his 350-yard drives. The American brazenly reasoned that, for him, par was 67 and not the 72 written on Augusta National’s scorecards because of his fearsome club speed and distance off the tee. Over the four days of competition, 27-year-old DeChambeau struggled physically – he spoke of feeling dizzy over the weekend but said his body was fine. He only just made the cut and was ultimately beaten by two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer, who set a record of his own by becoming the oldest player, at the age of 63, to make the cut at Augusta. They played together on Sunday. The German, who won in 1985 and 1993, is a country mile shorter than DeChambeau in hitting terms. But he took 71 shots to finish three under, while the American’s 73 left him at two under.—Agencies
