Irmo’s Dustin Johnson earns top-10 finish

Irmo’s Dustin Johnson earned his first top-10 Masters finish after shooting a final-round 69 at Augusta National on Sunday.

His 9-under 279 left him in a tie for sixth with Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.

“I didn’t have my ‘A game’ today,” Johnson said. “I hit a lot of bad shots, but my chipping and putting was very good.”

His best finish in five previous Masters came in 2013, when he tied for 13th with a 1-under 287.

Johnson did this year what many had predicted he would do because of his driving – dominate the par 5s. He was 14-under on Nos. 2, 8, 13 and 15 over the four days, highlighted by a record three eagles and a birdie to go 7-under on the par 5s Friday.

“I played the par 5s really well,” Johnson said. “You have to be able to take advantage of your length on those holes because there are so many other difficult holes here.”

Augusta’s par 3s were especially difficult for Johnson, who made double bogey at the 12th on Saturday and at the 16th on Sunday.

“I thought I hit a good shot on 16,” Johnson said. “I hit it solid, but the wind shifted, or something, and it went in the water.”

He got a break on No. 7 when he hit his approach above the hole and expected it to trickle back down. It didn’t, so he marked and waited for his turn to putt. Upon placing the ball back on the green and reading the putt, Johnson watched as the ball slowly rolled from about 20 feet to six feet. It stopped, and he made the putt for a birdie.

Johnson said he won’t be playing any golf this week, skipping the Monday After the Masters event in Myrtle Beach and the Heritage.

He said he’s going to the Bahamas.

Big names come out Having Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods on the leader board early Sunday made for plenty of buzz among Masters fans hoping for a comeback.

Mickelson did his part, shooting a 3-under 33 on the back nine to finish tied for second with Justin Rose at 14-under, four behind winner Jordan Spieth.

“I played a solid round, but I needed to have a spectacular round.” Mickelson said. “Jordan didn’t help us any.”

Mickelson said he would have taken 14-under at the beginning of the week and expected to win.

“I just got outplayed by an exceptional player,” Mickelson said. “Jordan has no weaknesses. He’s a tremendous shotmaker, and he focuses best when the pressure is on.”

Woods shot a 1-over 37 on the front nine, and his name quickly came off the leader board. He shot 73 to finish the tournament at 283, 5-under.

American dominance Is this the start of a Jordan Spieth era, such as those dominated by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods?

Former Masters champion Zach Johnson, who shot a 68 to finish tied for ninth, says not so fast.

“That’s an embellishment.” Johnson said. “There are four or five others you might soon be saying the same thing about. American golf is in an outstanding place. Now, some super athletes play golf.”

Which might bode well for the U.S. in future Ryder Cups, which have been dominated by the Europeans for several decades.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 11:33 PM with the headline "Irmo’s Dustin Johnson earns top-10 finish."