Dustin Johnson regains form that led him to top of world rankings

As Dustin Johnson enters his prime, he’s already amassed a résumé that most players would envy.

Twenty PGA Tour wins. A major championship. And more than 80 weeks as world No. 1.

What’s missing is what most thought would have already happened: a victory at the Masters Tournament.

He’s been a fixture at Augusta National for a decade, and he delivered top-10 showings in three of the past four years.

It would likely be four in a row, but Johnson withdrew in 2017 after a slip and fall at his rental home. He had won three events in a row coming into Augusta that year and was the favorite to slip on the green jacket.

Last year, a poor start derailed Johnson’s chances. His opening 73 was followed by three under-par rounds, and he wound up tied for 10th.

Johnson isn’t very talkative, but he did acknowledge that a Masters win is high on his bucket list.

“Well, yeah, I mean I’ll take a win at any major, they’re all very important,” he said. “But, yeah, definitely I would love to win there.”

The good news for Johnson is he feels his game is about where it was in 2017 when he won four times and ascended to No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time. That’s bad news for the rest of the golf world.

“I feel like the shot patterns are the same and my strike, the swing feels the same, it’s the best it’s felt since then and obviously my play reflects that a little bit,” he said. “But I’ve still got a lot of work to do, still got a lot of room for improvement, but it’s the most comfortable I’ve felt over the ball in a long time.”

Exhibit A was Johnson’s win at the World Golf Championships event in Mexico. It marked his 20th career PGA Tour win, and it gave him a win in every calendar year since 2008.

In Mexico, Johnson didn’t shoot above 67 as he romped to a five-stroke win over Rory McIlroy. It also put him back on top in the world rankings after Justin Rose held the top spot the first few weeks of the year.

The battle for the top spot has motivated him, Johnson said earlier this year.

“You’ve got to bring your game every single week if you want to stay at No. 1. At any point, the guys that can win pass you,” he said. “It’s very important to come prepared every week, no matter where you’re playing, what tournament it is, and compete. I’m definitely looking to challenge Rosey for the top spot.”

Johnson planned to play some practice rounds at Augusta National the week before the Masters. With the Players Championship moving to March and the PGA Championship going to May, and the season ending earlier, a lot of big events are compressed into a short time frame.

“We have a lot of huge golf tournaments, so you want to keep your game in good form from kind of now through the end of the season,” Johnson said at the Players. “It doesn’t really let up and it doesn’t really give you a chance to kind of take a break, but I like it. I think it’s going to be a good year, and then for your game, hopefully you’re in good form.”