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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 4, 2016

Dustin Johnson

Augusta, Georgia

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's a real pleasure to welcome Dustin Johnson back to the interview room this year. This is his seventh time competing in the Masters Tournament.
Dustin returns to Augusta National after tying for sixth in 2015, that was his best finish to date here. He's fared well at all other majors last year, where he tied for second at the U.S. Open and tied for seventh at the PGA Championship.
Dustin also won his ninth PGA TOUR event with a WGC Cadillac Championship, marking his eighth consecutive year with at least one win.
He's off to a solid start in 2016 with three Top‑10 finishes early in the season. Dustin, welcome back to Augusta, and if you don't mind, share a little bit about the preparation and the buildup for your return for the Masters Tournament.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, you know, you always‑‑ I mean, Augusta is the first major, so you kind of start thinking about that at the beginning of the year. I mean, for me, it's always someplace where I'm very excited to come play at. Growing up, right down the road from here.
We were playing in Austin, and it was kind of a last‑minute decision when I was in Austin at the Match Play to play last week. So I decided to do that, just because I felt like I needed to get some more reps in before I came here, because I can't‑‑ I ended up having a great week in Austin, but at the time I decided, I just didn't feel like my game was in that great of shape. Ended up coming into form that week, and then continued it into last week.
But I came up here last Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to practice and prepare for this week. Then playing last week, too, was part of my preparation coming into the Masters this year.

Q. How, if at all, do majors define your year?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know, majors, obviously they are our four biggest tournaments. To me this is probably the biggest one of the four, being as its so close to where I grew up.
You know, I think it definitely‑‑ I don't know if it defines your year, but it kind of does. Because whether you win five tournaments, if you don't play good in any of the majors, it's still just kind of a mediocre year. I think you've got to compete in the majors to have a great year.

Q. What did you find last week that you weren't doing before?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: What did I find last week? I didn't find anything. My game was good. I felt after the first day in Austin at the WGC, I just was a little rusty and didn't look like I was going to go very far. So I said, maybe I'll play next week so I can get a few more competitive rounds in. But I ended up playing well the next four rounds and made it a lot further than it was looking like after I lost the first match.
But I worked really hard in Austin and then I came here and practiced. And then in Houston, I felt like I played pretty solid most of the time. Thursday and Friday was a little‑‑ was just a little bit off, but I still hung in there with short game and it kind of kept me in it.

Q. What has to work for you this week for you to have a chance, without saying everything. Can't say that.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: You know, I think short game and putting is the key around here. I feel like I hit the ball pretty well most of the time. I think if I chip and putt it well, bunkers well, then I'm going to compete and have a chance to win on Sunday.

Q. They say the Masters doesn't really start until the back nine on Sunday. Obviously you've been here many years. Just how does it change? Can you feel it change on that Sunday? How is it different? What is the atmosphere like?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'd have to disagree. It starts on Thursday. Because you don't play good on Thursday and Friday, you aren't here on Sunday.
But I mean, obviously Sunday, it seems like every year the back nine on Sunday, there's four or five people that have a chance. So at that point, yeah, it does start then.
To me, every year the golf course, Saturday is like one of those days where the golf course generally plays pretty tough. And then for some reason, they really like to set it up tough on Saturday.
And then on Sunday, it's still tough, but they set it up to where if you hit really good golf shots, you can make some scores. I think that's how they like it on Sunday on the back nine. You've got two eagle opportunities on 13 and 15, and a lot of birdie opportunities if you're controlling your golf ball and putting it in the right spots. So that's why I think they say it starts on the back nine on Sundays, because there's a lot of opportunities to make birdie and then there's a lot of opportunities to make disasters, too.

Q. How quickly do you flip the switch after finishing yesterday and coming so close? When does it sink in? I know you've been thinking about the Masters, but did it sink in on the plane ride here or as you drove down Magnolia lane?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I came here last week Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to prepare and get some work done out here. Yeah, probably coming over, probably this morning, when I drove in to register, that would be when it kind of sinks in and you start really preparing yourself for this week.

Q. You had obviously very close finishes in other majors. This one you haven't necessarily been in contention of late. How disappointing is it to you that you haven't put yourself in that position here at this place, yet?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's not disappointing. It's just, you know, you've got to play good golf. Last year I felt like I played a little bit better around here. This golf course is one of those courses where all parts of your game need to be working.
This year, I feel like I'm coming in with a pretty solid game. I feel like every part of my game is improving. I felt like I've got a lot of confidence in every part of my game right now, especially with my wedges. I've been working really hard on my wedges and I feel like that's improved a lot over the last, you know, six weeks. I can definitely see improvement in that. I think that's something that's going to help me around here.

Q. You share sort of a vague neighborhood with Tiger around Palm Beach. Just was curious what your reaction was when he finally did come out and say that he wasn't going to play, if there was any expectation, or what your reaction was.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I didn't know until I was actually here last week that he was even thinking about playing. You know, I mean, I want him to come back. I like Tiger being out here. It's good for all of us. He obviously is one of the game's best players. Definitely it helps all of us when he's out, so I'm ready for him to come back. I'm looking forward to it. You know, hopefully he does it very soon.

Q. A couple things, Dustin. A label that's been around forever, the best player to never win a major. When you hear that label, negative or positive?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: If your name's getting mentioned, best player, whether, you know, whatever comes after that, is usually pretty good. I've got to say it's positive. You know, I still feel like my time's coming. I've just got to keep putting myself in position to have a chance to win. One of these days I will get it done.

Q. What makes you think I was talking about you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Because I know myself (laughter).

Q. What I wanted to ask on top of that, when you look at all the great chances you've had, how much of that do you see as scar tissue and how much of that do you see as great learning experiences?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't look at any of them as scar tissue. I try to take every situation, good or bad, and just try to learn from them and use the experience that I had.
You know, even like last year at the U.S. Open, to me, that gives me a lot of confidence; if I'm in that situation on Sunday, I know I can get it done. I know I can hit the shots that I need to hit and put myself in position.

Q. Where do you put that drive on 18 of all the drives you've hit in your life?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Probably be the best, under the circumstances. It was not a very big fairway I have to hit it in there and I hit it right in the middle and hit a great iron shot in there.
You know, that gives me a lot of confidence knowing that under that kind of pressure and that situation, that I can hit those shots.

Q. You've gone a couple years where you seldom finish outside of the Top‑20 now. Are you pleased with the consistency that you've achieved, and do you think the only thing missing is possibly closing more frequently?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, that's the goal is to become more consistent and always contend. Every week I tee it up, I want to contend for a title. That's been my goal for a long time is to get my game to where it's consistently better. I think over the last couple years, it's gotten consistently better where I'm contending a lot. Even when I don't feel like I'm playing well, I'm still keeping myself in it. That's always the goal.

Q. Your name gets mentioned a lot as someone who has the game to be able to play well around here. Does it just boil down to distance or is there a little bit more nuance than that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, this is a golf course I think that a lot of things have got to go your way to have a chance to win on Sunday. Especially you've got to, like I said, you've got to be doing everything well. It's tough. It's not‑‑ you know, it doesn't reward mediocre shots. You've got to hit all of them in the right spots, and when you do miss it, you have to make sure you miss it in the right spot. You can hit a great shot and it can go just a yard too far and you're not going to make par.
So those kind of things, that's what makes this place very difficult. I think the more I play it, the more comfortable I get here, the more I know kind of where you have to hit it to certain flags. There's definitely a pin on every hole where there's just a place you can't miss it. So that's some things that I've just been learning over the last few years playing here.

Q. Can you just take us back to the first time you came here, either‑‑ I guess both in person and then as a competitor, and what your initial thoughts were of this place?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think this is one of the‑‑ this is my favorite place to come. From the first time I came here, it's the only place where a major is held at the same golf course every year. Growing up so close to home‑‑ growing up so close to here, it's always been my favorite to watch, to come to, to play in now. It definitely means a lot to be here. I'm always proud to be here and excited when I get that invitation every year around Christmastime to come back. You know, it's just a place that's very special to me.

Q. Did you come prior to being a competitor?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. I got invited to play before I actually played in the Masters, but I never did until I actually made it here for my first time. Then I came and played early before the tournament.

Q. We had a great story yesterday, Jim Herman punching his ticket here and he's going to play for the first time. What are your thoughts about that success story and what it means to you and the other fellow players and the sport?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Oh, I think it's great. Jim, obviously he's been around for awhile and kind of battled on and off the TOUR, but I think he's been out here the last couple years. I think it's awesome. It's good for him. It's good for the game. So I was happy to see him get it done yesterday on Sunday. If it wasn't going to be me, then it was okay with me that Jim won (smiles).
You know, he played great, so you've got to give it to him. I think it's awesome for him to get to come here for the first time. I'm sure he's very excited to be here, and I would be, too, if I was him.
THE MODERATOR: Dustin, welcome back to Augusta. All the best.

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