Masters 2020: Dustin Johnson Takes Commanding Lead at 16 Under Entering Sunday
November 14, 2020
Dustin Johnson has pulled away from the field with one round remaining at the 2020 Masters tournament.
The No. 1 player in the world finished the third round 16 strokes under par after carding a 65 on Saturday, one of the best showings we have seen at this event in years:
It's enough to give Johnson a four-stroke lead over Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith, all currently tied four second place.
It's still far from over at Augusta National Golf Club with four players within five strokes and big names like Justin Thomas (-10), Jon Rahm (-9) and Rory McIlroy (-8) among those in striking distance heading into the final 18 holes.
Round 3 Leaderboard
1. Dustin Johnson (-16)
T2. Sungjae Im (-12)
T2. Abraham Ancer (-12)
T2. Cameron Smith (-12)
5. Dylan Frittelli (-11)
6. Justin Thomas (-10)
T7. Jon Rahm (-9)
T7. Patrick Reed (-9)
T7. Sebastian Munoz (-9)
T10. Rory McIlroy (-8)
T10. Brooks Koepka (-8)
T10. Tommy Fleetwood (-8)
T10. Hideki Matsuyama (-8)
Full leaderboard available at Masters.com.
There was a five-way tie for first place after 36 holes between Johnson, Thomas, Rahm, Smith and Ancer. However, one man stood apart from the field in Round 3.
Johnson kicked off the round with an eagle on No. 2, his second of the week, and kept it going with back-to-back birdies to sit at four under for the round through four holes.
He continued his near-flawless performance with a round that featured five birdies, one eagle and no bogeys:
On the other hand, his victory is far from secure based on his history:
Im shot a 68 to stay in contention, carding five birdies, including an impressive one on the 11th hole:
Ancer also continues to surprise in his first appearance at the Masters. The 29-year-old is currently at 12 strokes under par for the tournament after his 69 in Round 3. Smith also refuses to go away sitting at under 12.
Meanwhile, fans could expect a late charge from some players who have shown they can post low numbers, including McIlroy, Thomas and Brooks Koepka:
Andrew Beaton @andrewlbeatonSince 2015, Rory McIlroy has been +28 in the first round of majors. He's -56 in rounds 2-4. It's the biggest gap in golf—it's not even close—and it explains why one of the best players in golf has gone without winning a major for so long. https://t.co/WOvayTDqcE https://t.co/WBapcr0Yw1
Tiger Woods has played well but is likely out of contention after struggling to find birdies in the last two rounds. A Round 3 score of 72 puts him in a tie for 20th at under five for the week.
Bryson DeChambeau is also far off the lead (-3), although he can work his way into the top 10 if he plays well in the final round.
The championship will still come down to Sunday as Johnson tries to close out his second career major title.