Dustin should win — but in golf, nothing is certain

By Art Spander

He is four shots ahead with only a single round remaining, the world No. 1 playing like the world No. 1, loaded with confidence on a course that suits his game, breaking par and practically breaking records.

There’s only one reason that Dustin Johnson wouldn’t win this Masters. It’s called golf, and in golf nothing is certain.

Golf is a game in which you don’t have control over your opponents, and sometimes not over yourself.

A game where a one-foot putt and a 300-yard drive each count the same number of strokes. A game where you can lose a lead before you tee off.

A game where there’s no relief pitcher or backup quarterback when things go bad.

Dustin knows all about the agony of golf. He tossed away a three-shot advantage in the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, shooting 82.

He three-putted the 72 hole of the 2015 Open at Chambers Bay.

He also knows all about the ecstasy. He won the 2016 Open at Oakmont and this year everything else on the pandemic-shortened Tour schedule.

Johnson, yes, ought to take this tournament. On Saturday, he became the first in 84 years to shoot a second round of 65 in the same Masters, and his 65-70-65—200, 16 under par, ties the all-time low for 54 holes at the tournament set by Jordan Spieth.

Still, golf can be chilling. In 2011, Rory McIlroy also had a four-shot margin at the Masters and shot 80 the final day.

And only three months ago, Johnson held the lead in the PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco, albeit by one stroke, and came in tied for second, a shot behind Collin Morikawa.

Yet everything seems perfect for Johnson, including the fairways and greens, soft from the big rain on Thursday morning.

“If I can play like I did today,” said Johnson, referring to his missed chances of the past, “I think it would break the streak. (Sunday) is just 18 holes of golf. I need to go out and play solid. I feel like I’m swinging well. If I can just continue to give myself looks at birdies, I think I’ll have a good day.”

He’s on a roll, which seems the proper word at Augusta National, where the hills and swales have an effect, where big hitters such as Johnson always have had an edge. On Saturday he reached the downhill 575-yard 2^nd hole with a 5-iron and made the putt for an eagle 3.

His only mistake of the round was at 18, and, of course, he saved par. On the Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee compared it to a pitcher losing a perfect game with two outs in the ninth, but it was not that fateful.

So much has been written about the power and length of Bryson DeChambeau. Dustin Johnson is a less bulked-up DeChambeau, muscular and effective. DeChambeau, by the way, came out on Saturday, played nine and made the cut after being forced to stop on Friday because of darkness.

Self-belief is a necessity in golf. When you know you’ll hit the way you want, you do just that.

“Coming off a good finish” at Houston, the previous week, Johnson said on Tuesday, “Got a lot of confidence in the game ... As long as the game stays in good form, I think I’m hopefully going to be around here Sunday and have a chance to win.”

He’s got a chance, an excellent chance.

On Saturday, after three rounds and that big lead, Johnson was no less enthusiastic.

“I would say the game is in really good form,” said Johnson. “It’s just very consistent. I feel like I’ve got a lot of control over what I’m doing, controlling my distance well with my flight and my shape. I’m very comfortable standing over the golf ball, and obviously that’s a really good feeling.”

He just needs to hold on to that feeling. In golf, it can disappear as rapidly as a ball into a water hazard, and there are plenty of those the back nine at the Masters.