Johnson’s title defense ends with missed cut

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson is scheduled to be in Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, draping the green jacket over the shoulders of the Masters champion.

That’ll be his only official appearance at Augusta National this weekend.

Johnson — the world No. 1 and reigning Masters champion — bogeyed three of his final four holes Friday and missed the cut by two shots. He’s the 11th defending champion to miss the 36hole cut.

“Obviously, I wanted to be around for the weekend,” Johnson said. “I like this golf course. I feel like I play it very well. I just didn’t putt very good. It’s pretty simple.”

Lee Westwood’s streak of 12 cuts made at the Masters appearances is over; he was 5over. So is Rory McIlroy’s run of 10 times playing the weekend at Augusta National; he was 6over and his quest to complete the career Grand Slam will wait until 2022 at least.

And Brooks Koepka is going home early for the first time in six Masters appearances and says he’ll take a long break.

The top 50 players and ties make the cut at the Masters; this year, that was 3over, or 10 shots back of leader Justin Rose.

Koepka came to Augusta National less than a month removed from surgery on his right knee, to repair a dislocated kneecap and some ligament issues. If it wasn’t the Masters, he wouldn’t have played this week.

He shot 75 on Friday, missing the cut by two strokes at 5over.

“How disappointed do you think I am?” said Koepka, who added he’ll take a sixweek break. “I worked my (butt) off just to get here, and then to play like this is pretty disappointing.”

Sergio Garcia, in 2018, was the most recent Masters champion to return the next year and miss the cut; he missed the cut again this year after making bogey on two of his final four holes.

Briefly: When Jose Maria Olazabal walked into the interview area, the Spanish media members let out a cheer. “It’s like winning the event,” the 55yearold Spaniard said with a big smile. The twotime Masters champion (1994, 1999) shot a 1under 71 to match his best Augusta National round of the past 15 years and make the cut for the first time since 2014 . ... No amateurs are playing the weekend. Ollie Osborne was the low amateur, his score of 8over 152 beating Joe Long (154) and Tyler Strafaci (161) . ... Cameron Smith and Hideki Matsuyama are the only players with multiple eagles this week, with one each day. Both made a 3 on the par5 13th in the second round . ... Matthew Wolff shot rounds of 76 and 79 and would have missed the cut by eight shots, but was disqualified after signing his scorecard with an incorrect score.