The 84th Masters Tournament was held from Thursday, November 12, 2020, to Sunday, November 15, 2020, at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. It was originally scheduled for April 9 to 12, but, due to COVID-19 circumstances, was pushed back.No spectators were permitted to attend. The Masters is one of the four majors of professional golf, so winning the tournament is a prestigious honor. 

After the first round on Thursday, November 12, Paul Casey was leading at seven under par. Play was suspended for three hours due to an electrical storm, so some players had to finish their first round Friday morning after losing too much daylight Thursday evening. After the last of the players finished their first round, Dylan Frittelli and Dustin Johnson matched Casey’s score, and the three were tied for first. 

Dustin Johnson, John Rahm, Abraham Ancer, Justin Thomas, and Cameron Smith finished the second round tied for first. This marked the first time the top three players in the world ranking (Johnson, Rahm, and Thomas) have shared the 36-hole lead in a major tournament. Some players had to finish their second round Saturday because of the weather complications of the previous day that led to Friday’s schedule delay.. After the round was over, 60 players made the cut (the leading 50 and ties). Bernhard Langer, who shot three under, became the oldest player to make the cut in Masters history at age 63.

Dustin Johnson was able to take the lead in the third round, playing a bogey-free round. He tied the Masters record of 16 under par after 54 holes, which was set by Jordan Spieth in 2015. Johnson also became the first player in Masters history to shoot 65 or better on two rounds in the same tournament. When the third round concluded, Johnson had a four-stroke-lead, with Abraham Ancer, Im Sung-jae, and Cameron Smith tied for second at 12 under.

Johnson began the fourth round with two consecutive bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes, and after Smith’s birdie, Johnson only lead by one stroke. Johnson came back with two birdies and entered the back nine up by two stokes. He birdied the thirteenth through fifteenth holes, becoming the first player to reach 20-under in Masters history. At the conclusion of the match, Johnson won by five strokes. Im Sung-jae and Cameron Smith finished tied for second at 15 under par. 

This was an emotional win for Johnson, who grew up an hour away from Augusta. He finished in the top ten in the Masters in four of the last five years (he had to withdraw from the 2017 Masters after a freak accident). He also finished in the top five in four of the last five years of the US Open. This is Johnson’s second major win and first Masters. In his post-tournament interview, Johnson struggled to find words. “It’s a dream come true…as a kid, I always dreamed about being a Masters champion,” he tearfully said.

In other Masters news, it was announced this year that Lee Elder will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter in 2021. Elder became the first Black player to compete in the Masters in 1975.