Johnson masters all facets to lead
GOLF
AUGUSTA, Georgia: Dustin Johnson had one arm in the Green Jacket after charging to a fourshot lead with a nearperfect 7underpar 65 in the third round at the Masters yesterday.
Johnson matched Jordan Spieth’s record low Masters total for the first 54 holes — 16underpar 200 — while South Korean Im Sungjae (68), Mexican Abraham Ancer (69) and Australian Cameron Smith (69) were equal second on 12under.
‘‘I’ve got a lot of control of what I’m doing. I’m very comfortable standing over the ball right now and that’s a good feeling,’’ a typicallyunderstated Johnson said.
Ten players were within one stroke starting the third round, but Johnson was a class apart, in control of every facet of his game as he broke clear with a tapin eagle at the par5 second after almost holing a fiveiron.
He never looked back and did not really miss a green until the final hole, where for the first time all afternoon he was forced to call upon his deft short game to save par.
Only two players have surrendered a bigger 54hole lead at the Masters — Greg Norman (six shots) in 1996 and Ed Sneed (five shots) in 1979.
Rory McIlroy (2011) and Ken Venturi (1956) could not close the deal with fourstroke cushions.
For all his talent, world No 1 one Johnson has only one major title to his credit, the 2016 US Open.
A joint runnerup to Tiger
Woods here last year, and a perennial major contender, he will take nothing for granted today, but the final major of an unusual 2020 season is his to win or lose.
‘‘If I can play like I did today I think it will break that streak (of close calls),’’ he said.
Seemingly fully recovered from a recent bout of Covid19, Johnson’s performance eliminated the chances of many, including Woods, who started the round four behind but took 12 holes to record his first birdie.
A 72 that left the 15times major champion 11 strokes adrift, a sixth Masters title a bridge too far.
World No 2 Jon Rahm was another who had no answer to Johnson’s brilliance.
The Spaniard shared the halfway lead with Johnson, Thomas, Ancer and Smith, but came unglued at the par5 eighth.
He ran up a doublebogey after his third shot struck a tree and ricocheted into an unplayable lie in a bush.
Though Rahm fought back for a respectable 72, he trailed Johnson by seven shots. — Reuters