Johnson becomes first player to hole three eagles in round at Masters

For the second consecutive day, Dustin Johnson showed some fortitude following a shaky start to his round.

And he did it with some record-breaking pizzazz on Friday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Johnson became the first player in the 79-year history of the Masters Tournament to make three eagles in the same round, and used them to recover from a double bogey on the first hole and shoot a 5-under 67 to move into a tie for third through 36 holes at 7-under 137.

“I think that's the first time I've ever made three eagles in a round,” Johnson said. “It was pretty special and it was a lot of fun, too.”

The Coastal Carolina University alumnus trails leader Jordan Spieth by seven shots.

“Tomorrow is an important day,” Johnson said. “I just need to play another good, solid round and put myself in a position to have a chance to win on Sunday. I haven't played my best golf the last two days, but I've played pretty good. Hopefully it's just going to keep getting better.”

Johnson reached all of the par-5s with irons, and with a birdie on the par-5 13^th hole, he was 7 under on the four holes Friday.

After falling 2-over par through the first four holes Thursday before rebounding to shoot a 70, Johnson double bogeyed the first hole Friday despite a drive in the fairway. He hit his second shot over the green and had his first chip roll back to him.

“Walking off No. 1, I was just thinking to myself that it's better doubling the first hole than the last hole. You’ve still got a lot of golf to go,” Johnson said. “… I came right back and made up for it on No. 2.”

He immediately followed the double with his first eagle of the day on the second hole, reaching the green with a 5-iron and making a 10-foot putt that curled from right to left.

Johnson eagled the eighth hole with a 250-yard uphill 3-iron and 8-foot putt. “I was telling my brother [and caddie Austin], walking up the fairway that I just hardly ever hit that green in two,” Johnson said. “But I hit it right down the middle there and then hit a 3‑iron and just couldn't hit it any better, hit it right on the perfect line.”

He eagled the 15^th with a 225-yard 5-iron that came to rest just a foot from the hole.

Johnson, who leads the field in driving distance as he often does, is now in the Masters record book in three different categories regarding eagles.

He’s one of only three players to make four eagles in one tournament, which he did in 2009 to match Bruce Crampton (1974) and Tiger Woods (2010), and he’ll have a chance to break that record over the next two days.

Also in 2009, Johnson joined Dan Pohl (1982) and was joined in 2010 by Phil Mickelson as players making consecutive eagles in the Masters. All have done it on the 13^th and 14^th holes. Johnson birdied the 15^th that year to play the three-hole stretch 5 under.

He now will have eight pairs of crystal drinking glasses that are awarded for Masters eagles, which he keeps in an office at his home.

Johnson bogeyed the 10^th and 18^th holes Friday, and he also added an 8-foot birdie putt on fifth hole, saved par out of the trees on the seventh and holed a 35-foot birdie putt up a steep slope on the 16^th hole to temporarily move into third alone at 8 under and within six shots of Spieth.

He now wants to figure out how to get off to a better start Saturday. “I don't know what to do, but I'll take the bad start if I keep playing good on the rest of the golf course,” he said.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Johnson becomes first player to hole three eagles in round at Masters."