Don’t overlook Dustin Johnson at this year’s Masters

So many potential story lines, so many compelling champions-in-waiting, so many people looking forward to seeing what Tiger Woods will do at Augusta. No wonder this is being called the most anticipated Masters in a generation. There is only one minor detail being overlooked: Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Remember him? A year ago, he seemed unstoppable. Johnson had won three tournaments in a row and was the resounding favorite to win the Masters — until he slipped in his stocking feet on stairs at his rental home. His back was more talked-about than Woods’ when he had to pull out just before tee time because his injury was too severe.

Johnson later said it took five months before he felt healthy again. When he did recover, he was a force. He cleared a lake with a 330-yard tee shot to win the Northern Trust playoff at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury last August and started this calendar year with a win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui.

But he is not among the handful of players who gets mentioned when aficionados speak about the 2018 Masters, which begins Thursday. Bookmakers recently gave Woods better odds than Johnson, even though the former barely has played in the past three years because of back surgeries.

When Johnson was asked last month about how weird that sounded, he said in his typical low-key fashion: “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought about that. It’s fine with me. He’s playing pretty well right now.”

Johnson will be ready. And he will have a different rental house this week, a one-story structure. He is done with the other one, as he said, “It’s just got bad juju.”