Winning the Masters by five shots might look simple on paper, but it rarely is. Moreover, the one moment in November 2020 shows just how Dustin Johnson managed it.

The 41-year-old golfer stood in the 13th fairway with 240 yards to the hole, a distance that fit his 4-iron perfectly.

It looked like a clear moment to attack the hole, but his caddie and brother, Austin Johnson, took a look at the ball, and he saw the mud was stuck on the left side.

Mud left means the ball goes right, and right is Rae's Creek. They laid up with a 6-iron instead, with nothing dramatic, and nothing memorable. Just a low running shot that stayed beneath waist height and stopped short of the trouble.

But Dustin Johnson had a different idea. He played the shot low on purpose, letting the wet grass clean the mud off the ball for his next shot. Walking up the fairway, he flipped the club to Austin.

"There, I cleaned it for you," Dustin Johnson said.

Lob wedge in, about fifteen feet away, and he went on to make the birdie putt.

A few weeks later, Austin told the story to Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley during a casual round at the club. Ridley, a former U.S. Amateur champion who understands the game deeply, still shook his head in disbelief.

"It was genius," Austin said. "It was one of the coolest things he's ever done."

David Winkle, Johnson's manager, heard none of this as a surprise. He's watched Johnson think his way around the golf course for years while everyone else talks about his driving distance.

The Morning Dustin Johnson Broke the Masters Record

Dustin Johnson finished at 20-under 268. A new Masters 72-hole record, past the marks Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth had shared.

A closing 68 on a Sunday when everything was on the line, and Johnson called himself "super focused" all week. That part tracked. What didn't fit the image was what happened before he even reached the first tee.

"I was definitely nervous starting the day because obviously it meant so much to me," he said. "I couldn't hardly even eat any breakfast. Took a couple bites."

Out on the course, he tried an almond butter and jelly sandwich. One bite. Water to wash it down. Done.

Dustin Johnson has always carried himself like someone for whom pressure is background noise. That Sunday at Augusta told a different story.

He felt the pressure on every shot, thinking his way through the course one hole at a time. Even then, he turned a simple layup played because of mud on the ball into one of the smartest decisions of the whole tournament. And in the end, it really was.

So what do you think was one of the smartest moments ever seen at the Masters? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Kalp Thaker