Dustin Johnson‘s Masters form is a bit confusing. Till his first victory at the Augusta National Golf Course in 2020, Johnson had played in ten Masters, finishing in the top 10 five times. During this time, he had only missed the cut once in 2014. But since clinching the green jacket, Dustin Johnson has failed to finish in the top 25 in the next five editions, including three cut misses. His latest tenure at Augusta was also disappointing after he missed the cut by a single stroke.

Disappointment is understandable, especially for someone who is used to winning at the biggest stage of golf. The 24-time PGA Tour winner, however, is not going away empty-handed. At least, his wife, Paulina Gretzky, daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, thinks so. Paulina herself comes from an athletic family, and she is well aware of the pressure associated with the life of a professional athlete.

“I never got to be a kid,” Gretzky shared on The Netchicks podcast in January 2021 about how her life unfolded under the shadow of her famous dad. “Not to say I am missing out on things — I had the best life ever — but it’s hard to always have to censor myself when I just wanted to be like everybody else.” Knowing all this, and now having two sons, Paulina no longer seems to be censoring herself.

At Augusta, she, donning a white suit, was found to be caddying for her husband. She carried his clubs and held his hand on the seventh hole. Tournaments come and go, but these are probably the memories that will stay forever. Paulina believes that the time spent at Augusta did leave some lasting impact, one that goes beyond just the event.

She took to Instagram to share her moments at the Augusta National Golf Course with the caption, “Augusta, always”. For her, having the chance to spend some quality time with her husband and kids is rewarding, and the 2025 Masters proved to be the perfect setting for that. Amongst the visuals she posted, was also a video of her son, River, absolutely nailing a driver shot and getting cheered on by all the people around, including dad Dustin Johnson. What a wholesome family moment!

Dustin Johnson must also be thankful for the moment despite the tough two days at the Augusta National Golf Course. “For me, golf was always the most important thing. And now, it’s Paulina and the kids. And they’ll always be the most important. Obviously, I love the game of golf, competing and playing. But they’re the most important thing.” Johnson told Golfweek in 2020. And he also admits that without support from Paulina, it would not have been possible.

“She’s such a big supporter of mine … obviously, with golf or any professional athlete, or even a business, you got to have somebody to support you,” Johnson told People in December 2020. “I’ve spent a lot of time away from home, or at the golf course, or traveling on the road, whatever it is. So, you need that special person, especially with the kids, she does a great job taking care of everything else, so all I got to do is worry about golf.” However, fulfilling family time is not taking away the tough time Dustin had to face at Augusta.

Tough Masters outing for Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson was cruising at a score of even par by the end of the 16th hole during the second day of proceedings. The projected cutline was seemingly at 1 over par, which meant he had a two-stroke advantage. But the 17th and 18th holes proved to be the undoing. Johnson slipped up massively with a bogey on 17 and to make matters worse, he registered a double bogey on 18 to fall to two over par and thereby miss the cut.

He spoke to the media after his disappointing exit and he was visibly bothered about missing the chance. “I’m playing better than that I scored for sure. Didn’t score very well. Yeah, tough finish there. Played pretty solid all day until last two holes. But, you know, this golf course, it’s a pretty tough finish. If you drive it in the fairway it’s not tough. You miss the fairway, it’s difficult.” The two-time Major winner stated. But he is not going back from Augusta with the thought of wrapping up his career.

“All it takes is one good round though and it’s kind of right back into it,” Johnson said. “You know, for me, just got to clean up the mistakes a little bit. The game is in good form. Just got to limit the mistakes.” That is the silver lining for him. The Augusta National Golf Course is a tough customer, but Dustin Johnson had tamed it before. The question remains, can Dustin Johnson tame the course yet again and claim his second Masters title?