Johnson in optimistic mood ahead of Augusta
WORLD number one Dustin Johnson believes he is in the best form of his career ahead of the Masters as he seeks a second major title.
After being confined to his hotel room for 11 days following a positive test for Covid- 19 in October, Johnson returned to action with a tie for second in last week’s Houston Open.
That was the 36- year- old’s sixth consecutive top- six finish and the 2016 US Open champion is rightly among the favourites for the year’s final major at Augusta National, where he finished in a tie for second behind Tiger Woods last year.
“I feel like I’m playing really, really well,” Johnson said. “It’s probably the best I’ve played in my career, yeah, but it’s more consistent.
“I feel like there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but it’s very consistent as far as day in and day out, my shot shape, my flight and controlling my distance. I’ve put in a lot of work on especially the wedges, being able to control my distance with wedges.”
Johnson has won twice this season and famously recorded three consecutive victories in the build- up to the 2017 Masters, only to be forced to withdraw minutes before the start of his first round after suffering a back injury in a fall at his rented house on Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously I was playing great coming into the Masters in ‘ 17, coming off three wins in a row. They weren’t back- toback weeks, but three starts in a row I won. Yeah, the game was in really good form. But I think it’s really similar to what it was then.”