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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 2015

Dustin Johnson

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm very pleased to welcome Dustin Johnson to the interview room. Dustin, thank you for joining us. You have a great record in the Open over the last five years. I think it's only once you've been outside the top 20s and you had a tied runners-up finish at Royal St. George's in 2011. How much of a platform and how much confidence does that give you going into this week at St. Andrews?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I always enjoy coming over and playing the British. I feel like I play very well over here. I've always liked it since the first time I came over in college, and I just think it's a lot of fun. I like the golf, and it's very challenging, uses a lot of imagination, and this is one of my favourite Open venues with the history, and just I love the golf course. It's a lot of fun to play. I played pretty well here the last time I was here in 2010.

Q. How long did it take you to get over that disappointment from Sunday night at Chambers Bay?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Not very long. You know, I played really well that week. I was happy with the way I played and the way I handled myself coming down the last few holes. I thought I hit the shots that I was supposed to hit. You know, I did everything I was supposed to. It wasn't too difficult to get over it. Obviously I was a little disappointed I didn't get the job done, but you know, I was definitely happy with the way I played.

Q. Did Wayne have anything to say to you afterward? He's experienced a few of those moments himself.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, we talked, but not too much about it. He just said, great playing, and you'll get the next one.

Q. The two shots you hit on 18 to get to that position will unfortunately probably be forgotten, but had you gone on and won they'd go down as two of the best shots in major championship history. Is that what you'll draw on a little bit more when you look back at what occurred there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: You know, I knew I needed to make birdie. The fairway on that hole for me was not very wide. I had to fit it between just right of that second bunker, and I hit the drive exactly where I wanted to. I hit the second shot right where I wanted to. I hit two great shots, and unfortunately my ball -- I don't know how it stayed where it did, above the hole up there, but unfortunately it stayed there, and it was just a tough putt. I mean, I thought -- I was trying to just -- I was trying to make it, but I wanted it -- if it went in, I wanted it to barely go in, and it still went four feet by. Hit a good putt on the way back, and it just bounced and missed left.

Q. You ended up not going to the ceremony afterwards. Did you not know you were supposed to be there or were you just too upset to go? What was the genesis of that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I didn't know -- for sure I didn't know. But it was time to get out of there. I had had enough. I was ready to go.

Q. You're paired with Jordan Spieth for the first two rounds. How do you feel about that? Is that added pressure? How do you reflect on it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Jordan is a good buddy of mine, and so we have fun playing together. I think we've got a good group. I think I just saw it's me and Spieth and Matsuyama, so it'll be a good day. I like playing with Jordan. No pressure, though.

Q. How much have you seen of the Old Course here this week so far, and what are your impressions of the supposed softness, and is it going to play different than you're used to?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. You know, I've played here during The Open in '10 and then played the Dunhill a couple times, so I've got quite a few rounds out here. I think the conditions right now, they're really good. It's not too soft. I mean, it's not like the balls are stopping where they're landing. They're still bouncing pretty good. Like any Open, it all depends on the wind. If the wind blows, it's going to play difficult. If it doesn't, then we'll be able to make a lot of birdies. So it just all depends on the weather, but I think the course right now is in great shape. The greens are really good. The fairways are nice, and it's not -- I don't think it's really soft.

Q. (No microphone.)
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. I mean, again, it just depends on the wind. They're kind of at that length where if it's downwind you can get there. If it's into the wind you're not going to get there.

Q. Back to Chambers Bay, on the back nine on Sunday you seemed like you were not putting with a lot of confidence or else you missed some mid-length or shortish putts. Can you walk us through what was going on then and were you discouraged?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. I don't know if you watched the telecast, but I think pretty much everyone missed a lot of putts. I mean, it was just part of it. The greens weren't rolling that great. I felt like I was hitting good putts, just it's tough to judge bounces.

Q. What do you think of Jordan's chances at the Grand Slam, especially considering that that U.S. Open could have just as easily been yours?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I'm playing in the next two, so we'll have to see. (Smiling).

Q. You talked about wanting to get out after the round was over at Chambers. Can you take us through the moments after it ended and then maybe what that night was like, where you went, what you were feeling that night?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean, obviously right after, I was done. I was a little bit frustrated, a little disappointed. But obviously it was still a good week, but then coming off the green, coming up, Paulina and Tatum were standing there, so that definitely made things a lot better. And then we all went -- her family and me and my brother, we all went just a short flight over to Coeur d'Alene to Idaho and just spent the night there, hung out with friends and family. It was nice.

Q. You'll be also playing with Hideki Matsuyama for the first two days. What kind of impression do you have about him?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've played with him a couple times. I think he's got a really good game, really solid player. I think he's got a lot of talent. He's fun to play with. You know, he's got a great game, so it's fun to watch.

Q. Do you learn something about the Old Course every time you play it, and do you see it more of a bomber's course or as a strategic course?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I think it fits all types of players. I think you've got to enjoy links golf. You've got to be able to use your imagination around here. It definitely helps the more times you play it to know the bounces and where to land the ball to get to certain flags and certain pins, where you want to be at in the fairway because a lot of times you can hit it -- fairways can be really wide here, so what side of the fairway you want to hit it on, so those types of things definitely help.

Q. I believe you were playing links golf in Ireland at the weekend. Could you tell us where you played? I believe Royal Dublin was one?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, we played at Portmarnock and Royal Dublin. I go over every year before The Open and play some golf over there and then come over. It was a nice weekend, just hung out with the boys and played some golf.

Q. In your last six major starts, I think you have four top-eight finishes. Do you look at that as more encouraging or more frustrating, and what do you need to do, do you think? What's kept you from just closing the deal?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I think it's very good, very positive. It gives me the confidence to know I have what it takes to win. I think I showed that at the U.S. Open. Coming down the back nine, I was hitting the shots that I wanted to hit. Unfortunately the ball wasn't bouncing in the hole. You know, I've got what it takes, so I'm excited to get this week started.

Q. I'm just curious with the number of situations or chances that you've been in, what's the difference or what's the fine line between coming away from those things with a learning experience or coming away from it with scars?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, I think every situation you can learn from. You know, it just depends on the way you want to look at it. I think every person is different. I try to look at them all as learning opportunities, so for me, they're all learning opportunities. Each one helps me get closer to getting -- to actually getting a major.

Q. Can you describe or put into words what Wayne has imparted to you, what he's communicated to you about either philosophy or competitiveness or how to get over these hurdles?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, we really haven't talked a whole lot about that. Obviously he plays golf, but just for fun. I mean, we do spend a lot of time together, just haven't really got in depth about anything like that. Just more -- I learn more from Wayne just like watching him and seeing what he does and asking him questions about when he was playing and things like that.

THE MODERATOR: Dustin, thank you.
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