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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 29, 2016

Dustin Johnson

San Diego, California

Q. You played the South Course, you post a good number, which you did yesterday and then you try to tear up the North Course, which you did with a 66. How would you rate your play?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I had a lot of good looks at birdies all day. On the North Course today I actually drove it really well. I hit it in a lot of fairways, which out there is very tough, the fairways are small. But overall it was a very solid day and like you said, yesterday I put a good number up on the South Course. I got off to a great start. For me I hit it a little squirrely on the back side for me. But I know on the South Course you miss the fairways, you make easy bogeys a lot. But yeah, today was a really solid day all day long. I missed a short one on the last hole, I hit a good putt and just lipped it out. But other than that it was a really solid day.

Q. You play the South Course the next couple of days, it seems like that course would be in your wheelhouse. Long off the tee, good ball-striker. But you only had one top-3 finish here and that was five years ago, what would you describe this golf course as for your game?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I think it suits very well. You got to drive it straight. Here it's very important to hit the fairways and not -- I feel very confident with the driver, I feel like I'm swinging a lot better today. I hit a lot more fairways. I was hitting my targets. So, I'm excited about tomorrow, it's going to be a lot of fun. But still just got to keep swinging the driver like I did today.

Q. Great round of golf. Six birdies, no bogeys on the card. Your thoughts on how you hit it today?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I thought I played really solid. It was just an overall good day. I drove it well, I hit my irons well, felt like I rolled the putter really well. I really didn't make any long putts, but every putt I hit had a chance to go in. So that's all you're looking for when you're rolling it out here. Overall very pleased with the day. 6-under, no bogeys, you can't really ever get mad at that.

Q. 17 of 18 greens, I don't care where you're playing even a par-3 course, that's pretty good.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I hit a lot of greens. So that's always good. And it wasn't like I had long putts either. I was hitting it pretty close to the hole. So just need to take that into tomorrow and just keep driving it well. If you're hitting out of the fairway, you can attack the golf course. But this rough's really thick and you don't get good lies, or at least I haven't got any good lies. So you really, it's really a premium on hitting fairways.

Q. I keep hearing people say, boy, if there's a golf course made for Dustin Johnson, it's here at Torrey Pines. Do you agree with that? Do you like the feel out here?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I like it. The golf course I think sets up well. It sets up good to my eye. Just got to go out and execute.

Q. Talk about your day overall thoughts.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I thought it was a great day. I felt like I got, played solid all day, drove it well, I had a lot looks at birdies. I made a few putts. But overall just never really got into any trouble and felt like I controlled my ball very well. Had a lot of uphill putts and a lot of good looks at birdie. So very pleased with the day.

Q. What kind of angle did you have on 7? Where did you actually hit that shot?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well that was the one bad drive I hit today was on 7. My 16th hole. I hit it to the right and it got hung up there and then I actually didn't have any kind of angle, I hit it through the tree. The V in the tree. I hit it through the V in the tree. Probably one of the better shots I hit today. Got it on the green and saved par, which was very fortunate.

Q. What was your other option?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Just chip it out 50 yards short of the green.

Q. Talk about looking ahead to tomorrow and the weekend.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I just need to keep playing like I am. I feel like my game's in pretty good shape right now. Today was definitely better than yesterday, as far as with the driver. I felt like I drove it really well. Tomorrow, just need to do the same thing, just if I hit the driver well I'm going to shoot a good score. So especially out here where on the South Course where you have to hit the fairways, if not, you're really struggling.

Q. When you finished close here in 2013, you hit a ton of greens, but the putting wasn't very good that week. Do you remember that at all and if so, are you putting better now than you would say a couple years ago?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I felt like I'm rolling the putter really well right now, so, yeah, I would say definitely putting better. But around here, too, it's all about where you leave your ball, controlling your ball, leaving yourself uphill putts so you can be aggressive with it. If you're putting downhill all day, it's hard to make putts, it just is. I don't care how good a putter you are, it's just tough. So controlling the golf ball, controlling your distance, and leaving yourself in the right spot is a big key.

Q. Those guys both asked you over there about, hey, everybody says this is a great golf course for Dustin Johnson, they assume it's just because of the length, but it's a little bit more than that, right?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it really doesn't matter, if you look at the winners here, they're all over the board, as far as length wise. But you got to drive it straight. And right now I feel like I'm driving my driver very straight, so that's definitely a key, especially on the South Course, you really got to hit the fairways.

Q. Has this been a favorite course of yours at all?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I always loved coming here. Beautiful golf course, especially with the weather is like this, it's great.

Q. What's new in the bag this year?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Wedges and putter.

Q. Why did you change the putter?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. I didn't like mine. So I found another one.

Q. What is the putter?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's just a Titleist. I put a 5-wood in this week a new M1 5-wood.

Q. What you did take out?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: 3-iron.

Q. Why?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Because I don't need a 3-iron around here. I don't hit it on any par-3s and I don't hit it off the tee, so coming into some of these par-5s, I've hit it, I hit it twice yesterday and it worked out for me both times.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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