Dustin Johnson looking to avoid more misery from a position of strength

| 7mo

Dustin Johnson has held the lead of a major championship four times previously - and won none.

Dustin Johnson extinguished the memories of his major final-round failures in some style to win his maiden Masters title.

The world number one entered the last day at Augusta with a four-shot advantage and on the previous four occasions he had held at least a share of the lead after 54 holes of a major championship he had not gone on to win.

However, there was to be no slip-up this time as Johnson, who added a Green Jacket to his 2016 US Open title, raced to a history-making five-shot victory.

Having become the first man to reach 20-under par in the tournament his total of 270 beat the previous best set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how Johnson’s hoodoo had been established on four previous occasions.

2010 US Open, three-shot lead

The only other time Dustin Johnson has held a multi-shot lead at a major (excluding after the final round) was at the end of the 3rd round at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He shot a final-round 82 (+11) that week and finished T-8th. pic.twitter.com/ofZsKajjrE

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 16, 2018

A brilliant third round of 66 had given Johnson control of the tournament at Pebble Beach, with Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell his nearest challenger and Tiger Woods the only other player within five shots. However, it all unravelled in a matter of minutes as Johnson made a triple bogey on the second hole, a double bogey on the third and dropped another shot on the fourth on his way to a nightmare 82. In tough conditions, McDowell’s closing 74 was enough to secure the title.

2015 US Open, four-way tie

A college fundraiser at Chambers Bay features a Dustin Johnson putt contest: http://t.co/7LYrsK2fpO pic.twitter.com/BVwg7OWkIO

— Golf World (@GolfWorld) September 15, 2015

Five years on, Johnson came far closer to claiming his first major title after entering the final round at Chambers Bay tied for the lead with Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Branden Grace. Leading by two at the turn, Johnson bogeyed three of the next four holes and was three behind until Spieth double-bogeyed the 17th. Johnson birdied the same hole to get back on level terms and, after Spieth birdied the 18th, Johnson found the green in two on the par five to set up an eagle putt to win from 12 feet. However, he missed that and the return for birdie to force a play-off, gifting Spieth the title.

2018 US Open, four-way tie

It's DJ against the world at Shinnecock Hills…

The @WestgateVegas SuperBook has Dustin Johnson as a -140 favorite to win the 2018 U.S. Open… The field? +120 pic.twitter.com/3SnbOu0NkD

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 16, 2018

After finally winning the US Open in 2016, Johnson was again part of a four-way tie after 54 holes at Shinnecock Hills with Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau. Johnson had led by four shots at the halfway stage but struggled to a 77 on Saturday as the USGA admitted they “went too far” with the severity of the course set-up. A level-par final round of 70 was no disgrace, but Koepka’s closing 68 gave him a one-shot victory over England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who equalled the championship record with a stunning 63.

2020 US PGA, one-shot lead

pic.twitter.com/6Nj22bnCcK

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 10, 2020

Johnson surged through the field with a brilliant third round of 65 to open up a one-shot lead over fellow Americans Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Champ at Harding Park in San Francisco. A hard-fought final round saw seven players tied for the lead in the closing stages until Collin Morikawa chipped in for a birdie on the 14th and then drove the green on the par-four 16th to set up a decisive eagle in his closing 64. Johnson birdied the last for a two-under-par 68 to share second with Paul Casey.