Dustin Johnson Wins Masters, Favored to Defend Title in April

Dustin Johnson ran roughshod over Augusta National this past week to win the 2020 Masters. That performance makes him the odds-on favorite to do exactly the same thing at the next major on the schedule: the 2021 Masters Tournament in April.

Johnson finished 20-under-par to set a new Masters record and win his second career major, backing up a 2016 US Open title.

Tiger Awards Masters Jacket to Johnson

The 36-year-old Johnson closed out the tournament with a 4-under 68, finishing five shots ahead of Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im atop the leaderboard.

Johnson earned $2.07 million for the victory and the honor of having the legendary Tiger Woods award him with the green jacket customarily given to Masters champions.

“Having Tiger put it on was awesome,” Johnson told reporters after the tournament. “You wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The five-shot margin of victory was the largest since Woods won the tournament by 12 shots back in 1997, but Johnson didn’t realize he had such a big lead heading into the final hole.

“Where do we stand?” Johnson asked his brother Austin, who served as his caddy, as they headed up to the 18th green. He later confirmed that it was a serious question, though he felt good after hearing the answer.

“I think we can handle this,” Johnson told his brother.

The Masters moved from its traditional April date to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant what is normally the first major of the year became the last. Playing in November also required organizers to adjust: while the weather was still palatable – Augusta National is in Georgia, after all – a lack of daylight hours saw players heading onto the course early in the morning and finishing rounds well before primetime.

Sportsbooks Post 2021 Masters Odds

It also sets up a unique quirk in the golfing schedule. The 2021 Masters will begin in less than five months and will be the next major in men’s golf. That means that Johnson won’t have much time to celebrate his win. He also won’t have to keep his momentum going for nearly as long if he wants to take a crack at repeating as champion.

Oddsmakers have set Johnson as the favorite to win again in April. Both FanDuel Sportsbook and PointsBet list the defending champion as the +800 pick, though he’ll have plenty of competition.

Johnson earned his favorite status before winning this past weekend. He holds the No. 1 ranking in the world and has shown remarkable consistency at Augusta, finishing in the top 10 in each of the last five Masters tournaments.

There’s more dispute over who should be the second choice to win in April. FanDuel lists both John Rahm and Rory McIllroy at +1000, while PointsBet sees US Open champion Bryson Dechambeau (+900) as the second pick to take the next Masters title.