AUGUSTA, Ga. -- When Dustin Johnson's group came through the par-5 13th hole on Friday in Round 2 of the Masters, I expected roars or at least a little buzz. Johnson was paired with big boppers Jason Day and Bryson DeChambeau -- both of whom were near the top of the leaderboard -- and I expected eagle putts for everyone. What I got after the approach shots were hit was silence ... and even a smattering of groans.
That's because Day had flown it long, DeChambeau had left it short. D.J. had pumped one into the bottom of Rae's Creek. That disappointment, however, led to the moment of Johnson's second round as he chipped in for a four when a five seemed like a dicey proposition. That birdie at the 13th got Johnson to 6 under on the week, which is where he finished on Friday after shooting a 2-under 70 in Round 2.
That’s one way to make a birdie! @DJohnsonPGA chips in on No. 13 after taking a drop from the water. #themasters pic.twitter.com/Nahlx4x4Hm
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 12, 2019
Johnson was flawless after making bogey at the first hole of his second round. He made eight more pars on the first nine and three birdies on the second nine for the 70 as he tried to wriggle free of a suddenly bunched-up Day 2 leaderboard at this Masters.
There are numerous ways to measure how close somebody is to winning a golf tournament, but by pretty much all of them, this is D.J.'s best opportunity to win a green jacket. He's obviously had great rounds here -- seven of them in the 60s in his career -- but never has he put himself in a spot where a strong D.J.-like weekend could mean lapping the leaders as is the case this weekend. His career here has been curious. On a course that he can often play to a par of 68 or 69 because of his length, he's only ever shot two rounds in the 60s one time (in 2015) during the same tournament.
His best score after 36 holes was 137, but that was also in 2015 and he was 200 strokes back of leader Jordan Spieth (approximately). In 2016, he was just four back at the midway mark, but he had 13 golfers either tied with him or in front of him. This year, he was one back of the clubhouse lead at the time he finished after a two-day score of 138. He'll have a late afternoon tee time Saturday on a course can flex on. And he'll have a lot at stake.
Because he has 20 PGA Tour wins, I think it's often presumed that Johnson has multiple majors as well. The reality, though, is that Zach Johnson, Retief Goosen, John Daly and Padraig Harrington have all won more majors than probably the most talented golfer of this (and maybe any?) generation.
Resumes change quickly, though, and adding an Augusta Nationl bullet point right under the Oakmont one -- where Johnson won the 2016 U.S Open -- would be monumental. The list of golfers who have won majors at Oakmont and Augusta is a who's who historically: Angel Cabrera, Jack Nickalus, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Grown men among whom D.J. would fit brilliantly.
There's a long way to go here at Augusta National -- heck, there's a long way to go when there are still four holes left -- but we can definitively say that Johnson has never been set up more perfectly to slip into one of those green coats (as Tiger Woods called them earlier this week) than he is at this moment.