AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson was an overwhelming favorite to win the 2017 Masters until he slipped down the stairs of his rental home and had to withdraw from the tournament before hitting a single shot. Time has made it a distant memory for Johnson, who is eager for another chance to win his first green jacket.
“Coming into last year obviously I was playing well and it was very disappointing not to be able to play,” Johnson said Tuesday. “But it was a year ago, so a lot of things have happened since then. This year is a completely different year and I’m really looking forward to coming into this year.”
Johnson was the world’s No. 1 player and winner of his previous three starts when he arrived at Augusta National last year. But the 2016 U.S. Open champion slipped that Wednesday night, injuring his lower back. He said he was about “80 percent” when he arrived at Augusta National the next morning. He had continuous treatment and even took some practice swings and putts, but he wasn’t healthy enough to make his 2:03 tee time.
“It was just a freak thing and it happened,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing I can do about it except I’m here this year. Hopefully, I can tee it up on Thursday. I’ll definitely be looking forward to that.”
Johnson took about a month off after his fall and finished tied for second at the Wells Fargo last May. But he said it took nearly half a year before his back felt right.
“It’s something that I didn’t have anything wrong with it other than it was just badly bruised,” Johnson said. “It was kind of stiff for a long time. It probably took I would say six months before it really felt like where I was swinging and I really didn’t feel anything.”
He’s fine now.
Johnson won the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this year and has four top-10 finishes in the six PGA Tour events he has played. He remains the No. 1 ranked player in the world, followed closely by 2017 PGA Champion Justin Thomas and Spaniard Jon Rahm.
Johnson admitted his form is not quite as good as it was last year coming in, but it’s not far off.
“Last year I was about as confident as I’ve ever been. So it was probably a 10,” he said. “This year it’s probably a 9 ¹/₂ . I’m starting to swing it a lot better and feeling a lot better on the golf course.”
