Dustin Johnson says it is an "unbelievably difficult" decision to withdraw from the Masters and the worst part is he feels like he'll be fine in two days. (1:01)

Johnson: 'I'm not going to be able to compete like this' (1:01)

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Dustin Johnson has had his share of misery in major championships. Not the kind of misery that forced him to withdraw from the Masters. But misery nonetheless.

Johnson, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, withdrew minutes prior to the start of his first round due to a back injury he suffered in a freak fall on stairs in his rental home.

He came to Augusta National, tried to warm up, but ultimately decided he could not compete, making him just the second No. 1 player along with Tiger Woods to not play in the Masters.

His other major championship pain was not associated with injury. But some of the high-profile cases have been impossible to forget.

At the 2010 U.S. Open, he lost the 54-hole lead by shooting a final-round 82 and eventually tied for eighth.

When Dustin Johnson was unable to play at the Masters, the media came with questions. The answers will be months in the making. Rob Carr/Getty Images

Later that summer, Johnson grounded his club in a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship, leading to a penalty that cost him a spot in a playoff won by Martin Kaymer.

A year later, he trailed by just a stroke on the back nine of The Open at Royal St. George's when he hit a 2-iron out of bounds on a reachable par-5. He ended up tied for second. Then in 2015, Johnson hit two perfect shots to the par-5 final hole at Chambers Bay, only to lose the U.S. Open to Jordan Spieth when he three-putted from 12 feet.

And just weeks after that, Johnson led The Open through two rounds at St. Andrews, only to slump over the weekend with a pair of 75s and fall into a tie for 49th.

Even in his lone major victory at the 2016 U.S. Open, Johnson had to endure a controversial rules issue that cost him a one-stroke penalty.

In each of these instances, Johnson eventually fought back. You don't win a tournament every season since 2008 -- the longest active streak of any player on tour -- without having some resiliency. (And let's not forget that since last year's Masters, he's won six times around the world, including a major and three World Golf Championships.)

But at least in those tournaments, Johnson had a chance to compete.

At the Masters, Johnson got to the first tee but no farther.