Johnson makes a record 3 eagles

Irmo’s Dustin Johnson is going to need a new shelf in his office.

After setting a Masters record by making three eagles in the second round on Friday, Johnson will have six more crystal goblets to add to his collection.

Players receive a pair of the goblets for every eagle.

The three eagles helped Johnson shoot a 5-under 67 and rocket up the leader board to a tie for third, seven shots back of Jordan Spieth, who was at 14 under, a record score for 36 holes.

Johnson made eagles on both the front-nine par 5s at Nos. 2 and 8.

Then, he holed a tap-in eagle on No. 15 to establish the new mark.

“I always feel good at Augusta,” Johnson said. “I think the golf course sets up well for me. I just never really played that well here.

“But coming in this year, I felt really confident in my game. I’ve been playing really good golf. Hopefully, it’s going to get better.”

Johnson could have gone much lower Friday had he not made a double-bogey 6 on the first hole. Bogeys on Nos. 10 and 18 were the other blemishes on his card.

He made birdies at Nos. 5, 13 and 16.

Johnson finished the day at 7-under on the four par 5s.

Johnson is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, which helps him overpower the par 5s.

He hit a 5-iron second shot on the 575-yard No. 2, a 3-iron into the 570-yard No. 8 and a 5-iron into the 530-yard 15th hole.

He only had an 8-iron into the par-5 13th, which he birdied.

He led the field in driving distance on Thursday, averaging 316 yards on the two measured holes. J.B. Holmes was next with an average of 310 yards.

Johnson’s grandfather Art Whisnant, a Hall of Fame basketball player at USC, called the three eagles “incredible.”

Whisnant, who was among family members following Johnson’s group, said Johnson is “getting better every day.” He predicted a strong finish over the weekend.

Johnson said he needs to “play to play a solid round” on Saturday to give himself a chance to win on Sunday.

Johnson was already among the players with two eagles in one round. He made consecutive eagles on the 13th and 14th (a par 4) holes in the final round of the 2009 Masters.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Johnson makes a record 3 eagles."