AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was so much that was different about this Masters.
The month it was played, delayed from April to November because of COVID-19.
The eerie silence with no patrons permitted on the grounds because of concerns of spreading the virus, leaving the tournament devoid of its signature roars, particularly in the caldron of the back nine on Sunday with players making runs.
And then there was the winner, Dustin Johnson, closing out a 54-hole lead in a major championship for the first time in his career after going 0-for-4 in those situations entering Sunday’s final round with a commanding four-shot lead.
Johnson, 36, was brilliant after a nervy start to the day, shooting a final-round 4-under 68 to finish at 20-under for the tournament, breaking the Masters record of 18-under held by Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015.
He won his second career major by five shots, the largest margin at the Masters since Woods won by 12 in 1997.
Cameron Smith from Australia and Sungjae Im from South Korea finished tied for second at 15-under, but neither ever truly challenged Johnson, who methodically plotted his way to victory.
For the week, Johnson carded only four bogeys in 72 holes, setting another Masters record, beating out Jack Nicklaus and Jimmy Demaret, both of whom had five. He missed only 12 greens all week, a record last matched by defending-champion Tiger Woods.
When Johnson’s four-shot lead evaporated to a mere stroke through five holes, his issues closing out 54-hole leads in majors certainly crept into people’s minds. But Johnson regained control when he stuffed a tee shot to six feet on the par-3 sixth hole, made the birdie putt and never looked back.
“I’m sure a lot of you all think … there were doubts in my mind, just because I had been there,’’ Johnson said. “I’m in this position a lot of times. When am I going to have the lead and finishing off a major? It definitely proved that I can do it.’’
He did it in style, capturing his 24th PGA Tour career victory, a number bettered by only Woods (82) and Phil Mickelson (44) among active players.
Johnson became the first No. 1-ranked player in the world to win the Masters since Woods did it in 2002. The win was his fourth of 2020, including the Tour Championship, which gave him the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup title. Since the beginning of 2015, Johnson has won 15 times worldwide, including the 2016 U.S. Open.
When the tournament was over and Woods had slipped the green jacket over Johnson’s shoulders at the winner’s ceremony, Woods even became emotional watching Johnson show rare emotion.
The scene at the 18th hole was an incredible contrast to what took place in April 2019, when Woods won his fifth green jacket and thousands of fans chanted his name when he walked off the green to the clubhouse.
When Johnson walked off 18, a number of fellow players were there to congratulate him, including former Masters champions Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Spieth, all of whom were wearing their green jackets, along with Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler.
When Johnson spotted Watson, he told him: “I’ve been dreaming of putting that jacket on my whole life.’’
Johnson grew up about an hour away from Augusta, in Irmo, S.C., and never played Augusta National until he qualified to play in his first Masters.
“Growing up so close to here, it’s always been a tournament I wanted to win the most,’’ Johnson said. “Being close the last couple years, finishing second last year to Tiger, this one was just something that I really wanted to do. [Even] starting today with a four-shot lead, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was still hard. I was nervous all day, but I felt like I controlled myself very well.’’
A classic Dustin Johnson moment: As he walked up the 18th fairway with a five-shot lead, he asked his brother/caddie Austin, “Where do I stand?’’
Asked afterward if he honestly didn’t know, Johnson said, “I did not. Not exactly. I mean, I assumed I had the lead, but I didn’t know by how many. That was kind of my goal. I kind of looked at the leaderboard a little bit early, and after that I told myself, ‘Don’t worry about what anybody’s doing. Just play as good as you can.’ ’’
It was more than enough.