Hockey's greatest Gretzky walks round watching Johnson

With a simple blue shirt, shorts, sandals and sunglasses, The Great One could have passed for anyone.

Not surprisingly, hockey great Wayne Gretzky, along with his family, spent Sunday’s final round following Dustin Johnson. Gretzky’s daughter Paulina is Johnson’s fiance, and the couple welcomed their first child, Tatum, in January.

Gretzky seemed to still be in awe of Johnson’s three-eagle Friday.

“It’s a tough tournament, but it’s a great place to play,” Gretzky said. “I just love the way he’s handled himself. He’s playing hard, playing well. To make three eagles in one day, I don’t care where it is, or who you are, that’s something special.”

Johnson shot 3-under-par 69 Sunday to tie for sixth at 9-under. His previous best Masters finish was a tie for 13th in 2013.Sunday’s round featured three consecutive birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 8, and he added birdies at Nos. 11, 13 and 18. A double bogey at the 16th kept him from an even higher finish.

“I played pretty solid overall,” Johnson said. “I felt like I chipped and putted it pretty good this week.”

Johnson had a six-month absence from the PGA Tour for “personal challenges,” though he denied reports he was suspended after a third failed drug test. The Tour also denied that Johnson was suspended. In an ESPN.com story, Johnson said his problems came from too much drinking.

According to a Golf.com story, Johnson lost 20 pounds and then added muscle during his time away.

Johnson also played many rounds with Gretzky. But with Johnson now in season, Gretzky said the rounds won’t be happening as frequently. However, with a trip to the Bahamas ahead, there could be some in the near future.

“It’s a pretty hard week – mentally draining,” Gretzky said. “They all want to do well and want to compete hard, so it’s stressful. It’s probably like playing a Stanley Cup Finals round, you know? You’re mentally exhausted. We’ll see how he’s feeling, if wants to hang by the beach or play a little bit of golf.”

In some ways, Gretzky has been a mentor, being there if Johnson asks for advice.

“I really don’t know a lot about golf, so I don’t try to get into his head,” Gretzky said. “I’m not the sort of guy that sits down, says, ‘Here’s what I think.’ We have a nice relationship. If he asks me a question about something, I’ll give him my honest opinion. But all in all, he really is a wonderful young man.

“It doesn’t matter who you are as parents, you want your daughter to be with somebody who’s a really nice person. We’re very proud of the fact that Paulina’s with a really tremendous young man. We enjoy being around his family, and we enjoy coming here. He’s just been a real blessing for everyone.”

Gretzky became a grandfather with Tatum’s birth. In keeping with the Gretzky tradition, the boy’s first name begins with T – Gretzky’s three sons’ names all begin with the letter.

“Paulina really wanted that. Dustin was hoping for a different name, and I said, ‘Dustin, don’t waste your breath. You don’t have a chance,’ ” Gretzky said with a smile.