Masters title cements DJ's standing - at his peak - as best of his generation

Clinical. Effortless. Dominant. Flawless.

There are a handful of words that could describe Dustin Johnson's four-day performance at Augusta National, but none would be able to do it justice. What he accomplished en route to his five-shot Masters victory was truly remarkable and worthy of recognition.

His 20-under total is the lowest in the tournament's history, breaking the previous mark held by Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods by two shots. Johnson made the fewest bogeys ever by a winner along the way (four) and carded his 11th straight under-par round at Augusta to break Tiger's previous record of 10.

Additionally, besting the closest competitors by five shots sets the largest margin of victory since Woods' in 1997 and adds to Johnson's long list of runaway titles. He also became the first world No. 1 to win the Masters since Tiger in 2002.

Simply put: Johnson was at his peak.

However, many will look back on the rare November Masters as one without excitement. Johnson's walk down 18 with a five-shot edge and no fans in attendance was a stark contrast compared to the magical moments from Tiger's win in 2019.

But that's what DJ does best.

Nobody in today's game can turn what should be exciting moments into - for lack of a better word - boring ones. It's partially due to his stoic demeanor on the course, but it's largely because he's completely untouchable when he's at his best.

Look no further than his last eight wins on the PGA Tour, which have all come since January of 2018. Including the Masters, Johnson's average margin of victory in those wins is a whopping 5.25 shots, and only once has he won by a single stroke over that stretch.

In total, 13 of his 24 PGA Tour victories have been by three or more shots. As fellow South Carolina native Kevin Kisner put it: "When (DJ's) on, I just step to the side and try to add on to my bank account."

Things got interesting for a few holes early Sunday at Augusta, but once Johnson stuck his tee shot on the tough par-3 6th after suffering back-to-back bogeys, he set his sights on the 72-hole scoring record and smashed it.

The rest of the field was ultimately competing for second place.

When Johnson finally tapped-in to secure his green jacket - hilariously finishing out before Sungjae Im to further dumb down the anticipation level - no one was shocked to see him cruise to his second major title, an accomplishment that was long overdue for the 36-year-old.

Winning a second major gets the giant monkey off his back and further strengthens his Hall-of-Fame resume. But in the discussion between him and McIlroy, the green jacket also cements Johnson's status as the best player of his generation (commonly referred to as the post-Tiger era) when at his highest level.

Since 2010, no player has more PGA Tour wins than Johnson's 22. No player has more top-five (65) or top-10 finishes (98). He and McIlroy also share the honor of most multiple win seasons with five apiece.

And on top of that, Johnson's claimed wins in every Tour season since debuting in 2008.

Here's how Johnson and McIlroy stack up in majors since 2010 for comparison:

Diving even deeper, Johnson owns a 20-16 head-to-head record over McIlroy in all the majors they've played together since 2010 - including Rory's 2014 PGA Championship win, which Johnson did not compete in.

Yes, McIlroy has the major wins advantage plus a Players Championship title, but Johnson's also performed incredibly well in major tournaments over the past decade and has consistently lapped fields on the PGA Tour. And now he has another leg up over McIlroy - he's able to call himself a green jacket winner.

When you think about it, Johnson's wire-to-wire Masters victory can be viewed as a microcosm of his entire career.

It was dominant from start to finish, like his tenure on the PGA Tour. It appeared effortless, like his powerful swing thanks to his freakish athleticism. It lacked excitement, like the emotion he showed when he strutted down the fairway toward his 24th PGA Tour win.

But the win was also expected. It wasn't really a question of if he was going to win the 2020 Masters heading into the final round with a four-stroke lead, but more of by how many shots. And it wasn't really a question of if he was going to win a second major championship title, but when.

On Sunday, Johnson provided all the answers.