Dustin Johnson suffers injury scare on eve of Masters

Contrary to popular opinion, it's not always the most consistent putters who triumph at The Masters

The World No.1 comes in to the Masters as the favourite with three back-to-back wins, but his hopes of winning the first major of the year now look to be in doubt.

His team have confirmed that Dustin Johnson fell on a staircase and injured his lower back on Wednesday afternoon, causing uncertainty over whether or not he will be able to play – though his manager insisted he is hopeful.

He is currently scheduled to be playing with fellow major winners Bubba Watson and Jimmy Walker in the final group on Thursday at 2.03pm local time (7.03pm BST).

His team released the following statement:

“At roughly 3.00pm today, Dustin took a serious fall on a staircase in his Augusta rental home.”

“He landed very hard on his lower back and is now resting, although quite uncomfortably. He has been advised to remain immobile and begin a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication and icing, with the hope of being able to play tomorrow.”

This isn’t the first time Dustin Johnson has had a back injury around the Masters. In 2012 his agent reported he had hurt his back while lifting a jet ski, which forced him to withdraw.