CBS host Amanda Balionis has earmarked Dustin Johnson's emotional interview after winning the Masters back in 2020 among the "most memorable moments" of her career .
The American golfer was left visibly overcome as he reflected on his heroics at Augusta National four years ago as he achieved a lifelong dream. He saw off the challenge of Cameron Smith to win the illustrious major by five strokes - with his 72-hole scoring record of 20 under setting a new record.
The second major of his career following his success at the U.S. Open back in 2016, the magnitude of his achievement was not lost on Johnson when he stopped by to talk with Balionis in the aftermath. Now, the CBS anchor has named that conversation among those she looks back on with the most fondness.
Speaking about her "most memorable" interviews, she recalled the exchange with affection as she remembered the usually stoic star showing another side to his character. She told Links Magazine : "A couple come to mind. The Dustin Johnson interview after he won the 2020 Masters, when he got vulnerable with us.
During the moment in question, Johnson acknowledged that the victory at Augusta represented "a dream come true", as he struggled to hold back the tears, adding: "As a kid, I always dreamed of being a Masters champion. It's just incredible. I’ve never had this much trouble gathering myself."
This is not the first time that Balionis has referred back to that famous interview either, with the popular TV personality having given her recollections previously, saying: "I've been interviewing Dustin since I started covering golf in 2011 and you kind of know what to expect.
"He's going to answer the question that you ask and he's going to underplay his performance and always chalk it up to executing and being in command, she said, as she admitted that she was caught off-guard by the rare show of vulnerability from Johnson, continuing: "But this time, things were different.
"I think what happened, though, is he was wearing the green jacket on the practice putting green, Tiger [Woods] had just put it on him and it really just hit him in that moment that he'd accomplished his childhood dream."
Speaking about the interview that made her the most nervous, she pinpointed a conversation with Tiger Woods, saying: "When I started with PGATour.com, I think Tiger was my second ever sit-down interview. I’m very thankful the camera angle was from the waist up; my legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness. I lost a lot of sleep before that interview."
Balionis is set to move on from her role covering golf with CBS as she prepares to take on the post as a sideline reporter for the upcoming NFL season. Signing off from her duties recently, she took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt post which included pictures of her interviewing golf superstars including Rory McIlroy.
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