In 2024, Dustin Johnson sat down for an interview ahead of the PIF Saudi International. The reporters pointed at his finishes, asking what he felt about them. Johnson replied, “It started to get a little bit better towards the end of the year, but yeah, I’m feeling good going into this season.” However, Johnson’s hope was for nothing. His current season looks poorer than last year. The 40-year-old, who began his professional career in 2007 and achieved 24 tour wins in his first 15 years, hasn’t had a single top-5 finish in any major since leaving the PGA Tour. Despite this, Dustin Johnson has a chance to make history at the Masters.
To understand how that is possible, take a little look at the Masters Tournament’s history. Since 2010, all Masters winners have been ranked in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). However, Ángel Cabrera holds the record for the lowest-ranked winner, having won in 2009 while ranked 69th. And that’s where Dustin Johnson’s current OWGR (63) comes into play. Dustin Johnson has the opportunity to make history by becoming the lowest-ranked player to win the Masters.
Recently, Greg Norman‘s son, Greg Norman Jr., discussed the same opportunity on his social media. Taking to X, he captioned his post, “Dj has a chance to make history as the lowest “owgr” player to win the Masters which is held by Angel Cabrera, who won while ranked 69th.” Greg Norman Jr. attached a screenshot of Dustin Johnson‘s current OWGR to make his point.
The golfer is undoubtedly one of the most decorated golfers with 31 professional wins. However, his move to LIV Golf in 2022 also cost him something important: his OWGR ranking. He was 13th in the OWGR before he joined LIV Golf. His current ranking? 63. “I feel like you can’t really use the world ranking system anymore… Hard to use the world ranking system if you’re excluding 48 guys who are good players,” he said. The former Masters champion was at the peak of his game on the PGA Tour. He and Phil Mickelson brought significant attention to the rival tour. However, three years later, some fans feel he has “totally fallen off“ and “doesn’t care,” as he currently sits in the LIV Golf’s standings “drop zone” at 28th.
Dj has a chance to make history as the lowest “owgr” player to win the Masters which is held by Angel Cabrera, who won while ranked 69th pic.twitter.com/v7Hq64NmFN
— Greg Norman Jr (@GregJrNorman) April 9, 2025
Greg Norman Jr.’s way might not be the best way to tell Johnson to gear up for Augusta National, but it certainly highlights how he’s been playing lately. Dustin Johnson has struggled over the past year, with his last win at the 2024 LIV Golf Las Vegas. In the last 13 months, his best result was a T5 at the 2025 LIV Golf Singapore after winning in Vegas. In the final 11 events of 2024, he missed the top 20 in seven of them.
This year, for instance, he got off to a rough start in Riyadh, finishing T44. He played in four more LIV events after that, with his best finish in 2025 being T5 in Singapore, as we saw before. However, his performance dipped again in Miami, where he finished T27. Now, the 2020 Masters champion is heading back to Augusta National, but the question remains: Will he be able to deliver the same performance? If you ask Johnson’s former coach, the answer will be “no.”
Butch Harmon does not feel confident about Dustin Johnson
“I haven’t talked to DJ. I’m not sure that he’s 100 percent committed to playing anymore,” said Butch Harmon during an interview with Golf Magic. Butch Harmon is the renowned coach who worked with Dustin Johnson from 2010 to 2017. “You know, he got paid a lot of money to go over there. He won the Masters and the U.S. Open, but I’m not sure his competitive drive is the same as it used to be,” Harman added, and his concern makes sense.
Since his Masters victory five years ago, Dustin Johnson hasn’t won a major, and his performances in majors post-LIV have been inconsistent, with four missed cuts out of eight appearances and a best finish of tied for 10th at the 2023 U.S. Open, raising concerns ahead of the Masters. According to Harmon, people recognize golfers like Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau for their intense competitive spirit. Maybe, these observations reflect a perceived shift in Johnson’s approach to professional golf, suggesting that his move to LIV Golf may have influenced his competitive mindset.
One of the reasons Johnson constantly faces so much backlash is probably because of one statement. In February 2025, talking about the PGA Tour, he said, “I just want to play less golf and make more money.” Will the patrons take him seriously when he plays at Augusta National? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
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