Irmo’s Dustin Johnson still in the hunt for green jacket at Masters
Dustin Johnson’s just where he wants to be going into the final round of the 80th Masters on Sunday.
He’s got a chance.
It would be his first green jacket and his first major.
“I’m right there,” the Irmo native said after shooting an even-par 72 Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club. “Tomorrow, just go out and when I’m making the turn at No. 10, you just want a chance to win.”
Johnson’s in a group of three at even par, including Danny Willett and Jason Day. Only four golfers finished under par and ahead of Johnson, who trails leader Jordan Spieth by three shots.
Johnson’s day was highlighted by a long stretch of pars, uncharacteristic for the long hitter who has been known to dominate the par 5s at Augusta.
“Standing on the first tee, I would have taken 18 pars and sat in the clubhouse all day,” Johnson said. “So I’m happy with the way I played. I’m happy with even par and it was a good, solid day.”
Johnson had birdies on Nos. 3 and 13. He offset those with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 17. He had what he called “a lot of easy pars.”
“I felt like I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in the hole,” Johnson said. “You know when you do have a lot of good looks at birdies you want to make those, because you know you’re not going to get that many close looks.
“But I’m not frustrated, because I hit the putts where I wanted to. Maybe the wind held them up or they hit something and kind of wiggled the other way, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
Johnson capped his round with a sand save for par on the 18th hole.
“That was big,” he said. “I had just bogeyed 17, so you definitely want to make a four on 18. I hit a good bunker shot up there to about three or four feet and made the putt.”
In his seventh Masters, Johnson’s best finish was sixth in 2015.
Now, he’s got what he wanted. A chance to win his first major.
This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Irmo’s Dustin Johnson still in the hunt for green jacket at Masters."