Amanda Balionis has interviewed some of golf’s biggest stars, but her conversation with Dustin Johnson after his 2020 Masters win still means a lot to her. The CBS Sports reporter recently recalled how Johnson struggled to speak after winning his first green jacket. Instead of jumping in to fill the silence, Balionis let him take his time. Looking back on that moment, she explained why holding back her own words helped viewers see just how much the victory meant to him.
Amanda Balionis Recalls Dustin Johnson Breaking Down After Masters Win
Speaking to Claire Rogers on Skratch, Balionis remembered the unusual setting of the November 2020 Masters. The COVID-19 pandemic meant there were no spectators at Augusta National, making the win feel different from a typical Masters celebration.
“There’s a lot. I mean, there are so many moments that I feel so honored and privileged to be a part of. But Dustin Johnson, I think it was just such a heavy time for everyone, right? We’re in COVID, it’s November, there are no patrons there,” Amanda Balionis told Claire Rogers during a Skratch interview.
After the green jacket ceremony, Balionis asked Johnson what the victory would have meant to his younger self. He struggled to hold back his emotions as he answered.
“I definitely wouldn’t believe myself. It’s a dream come true,” Johnson said.
His voice broke, and he wiped away tears before admitting, “It’s hard to talk.”
Balionis chose not to interrupt him. She explained why that pause mattered to the interview.
“And I was doing this interview that had never been done before after the Green Jacket ceremony to ask the question that I think got to the core of who he really is and what he so deeply cared about, and then lay out and say nothing while he processed and let the emotions take him over. I think if I would’ve tried to insert myself in that moment of silence before he got emotional, I don’t think he gets emotional. I don’t think we ever get to see truly how much that meant to him.”
Dustin Johnson’s 2020 Masters Win Left A Lasting Mark On Amanda Balionis
Johnson won the Masters on November 15, 2020, finishing at 20-under 268 to set a tournament scoring record. He finished five shots ahead of Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im, with his brother Austin serving as his caddie.
Balionis had been interviewing Johnson since 2011. She later told The Big Lead that a player’s silence can sometimes say more than an answer.
“If he can gather his words, great, but if he can’t, that silence and his reaction probably says more than words ever could,” she said.
Balionis joined CBS Sports’ golf coverage in 2017. She said the Johnson interview became a moment she still thinks about when athletes show emotion during conversations.
“I’m happy it happened so early in my career with CBS because there’s a lot of times now where I go back to that when I start to see a player start to get vulnerable. I remind myself of that moment often of just don’t say anything, and it’s okay. And it, it typically creates a much better moment than anything I would have to say anyway,” she added.