DJ is Your 2020 Masters Champion (& Other Takeaways)

What a great bonus it was for all golf fans to enjoy a Masters tournament in November - particularly given that back in April it seemed doomed for 2020. After some amazing golf served up by the best golfers in the world, it seemed quite fitting that Dustin Johnson - the best golfer on the planet right now - captured the Green Jacket.

To help bring our coverage of the year's final major (however weird that sounds) to a close, we've gathered together our standout takeaways from the 2020 Masters. Check them out below.

DJ is Your Masters Champion

Unflappable. Emphatic. Peerless. Just three of the words that spring to mind to describe Dustin Johnson's performance at the 2020 Masters. He was calmness personified and attacked every one of the 72 holes with power and precision in equal measure, posting a major record score in the process.  

For drama's sake if nothing else, some of us hoped to see some sort of chink in DJ's armour during Sunday's back nine. Alas, he displayed the same poise and composure which had been evident for the previous 63 holes. The 2016 U.S. Open champion would not be denied his second major title - and we even got to see a flicker of emotion during his Green Jacket acceptance speech.

Tiger's 10 on Golden Bell!

We all look back on the 2019 Masters with great fondness as it heralded the return of Tiger Woods to major glory.  This year's tournament standout memory will, unfortunately, be his jaw-dropping 10 on Golden Bell, Augusta National's infamous 12th hole.

His title defence got off to a solid start on Thursday with an impressive four-under-par 68. By the time we arrived at Sunday's final round, Tiger was well off the pace and nursing a troublesome back injury that had seemingly dogged him from early on.

Perhaps it's no surprise then that his final duel with Augusta's most notorious golf hole didn't end well, but it was the manner of the collapse which left golf fans amazed.

His tee shot found Rae's Creek and was joined by two more balls as the great man struggled to find the putting surface. He would finally settle for a humbling (seven-over-par) 10. Still, that's three better than Tom Weiskopf managed back in 1980.

Five birdies in the final six holes showed the mark of a true champion. He'll be back to shoot for no.16 next April.

Rory's Thursday Hoodoo Strikes Again

An opening-round 75 put McIlroy firmly on the back foot as he sought to capture a first major championship since the 2014 Open Championship win at Hoylake. The subsequent 54 holes were played at 14-under-par, but the damage had already been done by some errant golf on Thursday.

It's a trend that extends beyond the Masters. Rory has a pretty shocking opening-round scoring record when it comes to the four big ones. Think back to his 2018 Royal Portrush homecoming as another example of a time when an early collapse sank his chances.

Bryson's Par Probably Isn't 67

All the pre-Masters focus seemed to be centred on one man, and one man alone. However, Bryson DeChambeau failed to live up to the hype and a belief that his par for Augusta National was somewhere around 67.

In retrospect, it may have been a little foolish to put that target on his back before a single ball had been hit in anger. A triple-bogey 7 on the 13th hole on Thursday was an indication that his super-aggressive approach was perhaps a little reckless, and that the course was more than happy to bite back.

Augusta in November is a Wondrous Sight

Never did we think we would get to see major golf played in November, of any sort, but then this is far from a normal year. The unique opportunity to see Augusta National in the Fall will live long in the memory for many golf fans.

While the golf course was every inch the star of the show (as always), let's hope there will be no need for a November Masters, in similar circumstance, ever again.

The best about it all is that we only need to wait until April to do it all over again.