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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANSApril 22, 2015Dustin JohnsonAVONDALE, LOUISIANA THE MODERATOR: Okay. We'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson into the interview room. He's making his second career start at the Zurich Classic, first since 2008. So Dustin, first of all, welcome back. If we can get some comments on being here in New Orleans. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I'm happy to be back. This year it worked out really well with the schedule, and you know, I hadn't been back since 2008, which I think was my rookie year, and I liked it when I was here any rookie year. It's a great city, it was fun, lots of things to do, good food, and the golf course is really nice, too. THE MODERATOR: Great start to the season for you. You're making your eighth start this season. You have six top six finishes, including your win at the Cadillac Championship. If we can just get some comments on your year up to this point. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. It's been a really good year. I think it's been very solid. I've played, you know, really consistent every week, you know, every week, I've been up in contention. And so you know, I'm very pleased with how this year is going so far. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Questions. Q. Dustin, if you could point to one thing this year to why you've been so successful, what would that be? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've been working pretty hard on the game, and then also I've been working really hard in the gym. So I think that's the only difference I can see, you know, that╩‑‑ with my game as far as anything that I've done differently this year. And you know, it's just been more focus in the gym. That's the only difference I've had this year. Q. Do you think there's anything about this course that produces unexpected results? There's been a lot of first‑time winners. I know it's a Pete Dye course, so there's some interesting bunker placements, things like that. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'd like to answer that question better, but I haven't seen the course since 2008, and I've played a lot of golf courses since then, so I do remember a couple of holes. I don't remember everything about the course, but I know it's good. It's usually in good shape. But you know, I think every week on TOUR, you know, the guys out here are so good that anyone can win, and so I think that's╩‑‑ I think that's more of the reason than the golf course where, you know, it's just the guys are so good where from top to bottom, I mean whoever is hot that week can win. Q. Are any of the guys talking about all the rain they've had here recently or do you kind of just get out there and see if it's dried out by Thursday? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean I won't know anything until I get on the course. I just got here last night, and so I'll see the course today and assess it, but the guy that drove me to the hotel yesterday said they got a lot of rain last week. And then I checked the weather. Looks like we might could get a little rain this week. So hopefully the weather will hold off, though. Q. How is being a dad right now? It's pretty early for you. Are you staying up nights and helping out? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, he's sleeping pretty much at nighttime, so that's nice. And so it's been very easy for me, because luckily Paulina, she helps me out and I don't have to do anything at nighttime. And so that's been great. But you know, being a dad, it's the best thing in the world, you know. And maybe that's the difference this year is, you know, golf's not the No. 1 thing anymore. It's my son and my family. So maybe that's the difference. Q. Will your family be here this week? DUSTIN JOHNSON: They're here. Yeah. They're here. Q. It's been a couple of weeks since the Masters. You played very well there. The three eagles in Round 2 was something else. You've had a couple of weeks to kind of assess it. How did you think you played at the Masters and what could you have done to maybe gone up a little bit there? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I just played okay. It was╩‑‑ you know, it wasn't great. I didn't have my A game. At times it was really good, but you know, at times╩‑‑ my misses were bad. They were just╩‑‑ you know, they were too far off line where, you know, they're╩‑‑ you know, everything has to be going well for you. You have to be doing everything right. I thought I chipped and putted it really well, which is something, I said going into the week, if I chip and putt it well, I'm going to contend, which I did, but I just didn't hit it well enough to contend with Jordan. I mean he played unreal. So you know, I needed to hit it a lot better to be able to contend with him. Q. There's been some talk about the Ryder Cup, and obviously you didn't get to play last year, but you got some younger guys coming up like Justin Thomas and maybe Daniel Berger. Patrick Reed played really well, Jordan Spieth. Do you see a younger group of guys maybe coming up and being on the '16 Ryder Cup team that could maybe take the Cup back to America? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean there will probably be a couple of new young guys on the team, for sure. You know, over the last few years, if you look at it, kind of the same guys have been on the team, you know. But you know, we have some really good young players, and I think that they definitely have a chance to be on the team. Q. Would that be good, do you think, for America╩‑‑ DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I think it's good. Like Patrick, that was his first Ryder Cup. He had a great Ryder Cup, played really well. You know, the last one I played in, I played really well. So you know, obviously that was, you know, I'm looking forward to the next one. Q. One more kind of light one. You like a lot of golfers mention New Orleans and how fun it is to come here. How does that play into a tournament? I mean do you think it's good and it relaxes some guys or do you think it can cause additional fatigue or things like that? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean I think it just depends on the person. For me, it's fine. It doesn't matter. You know, it's a good place to have dinner, you know. Great restaurants, and you know, there's, and we're staying at Harrah's, so maybe wander in the casino. But you know, I tend to stay out of places like that, especially when I'm playing. Q. Dustin, you finished, you had a good Masters╩‑‑ okay Masters. Got the U.S. Open coming up in June and then PGA and Brit. Do you like the three courses for the other three majors and what will be your run up to those? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I love those╩‑‑ I love the courses. I've never played Chambers Bay, so I can't really say I love that course, but hopefully I love it. The U.S. Open is going to be there. But you know, I haven't been there. But the other two golf courses I really do love. St. Andrews, my favorite, British Open. And then Whistling Straits, I enjoy playing there, too. And I played good the last time we played there. Q. What will you do to kind of get prepared for those, especially the U.S. Open? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I'm playing Memorial, Memphis, U.S. Open. Well, actually Byron Nelson, Memorial, Memphis, U.S. Open. So that will be my preparation. THE MODERATOR: All right. Dustin Johnson. Thank you, sir. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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