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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

July 27, 2016

Dustin Johnson

Springfield, New Jersey

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome back to the 98th PGA Championship, Baltusrol Golf Club.

Pleased to be sitting next to Dustin Johnson. Thank you for your time, sir, and welcome to your seventh PGA Championship. I think everybody here knows how well, consistently well, you've been playing, almost winning last week in -- this past weekend in Canada.

You seem to be locked in. Do you think there's a little bit more there, or how are you feeling right now?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm feeling good. I've got a lot of confidence in the game. I feel like I've been playing really consistent all year. I feel like every week I've gone out, I've had a chance to win. Right now, I feel like everything is going pretty well. I feel like I'm driving it good. I'm hitting my irons good.

My wedge game's really improved. I think that's probably the biggest difference this year than years past, is my wedge game, it's a lot sharper. I've got a lot more control with my wedges. I think that's the big difference for me.

JOHN DEVER: The consistency in major championships the last three years has been simply remarkable, eight Top-10s, and the win, I guess it was last month. What do you attribute that to?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I like the majors, and I feel like they are always played on really tough golf courses, which I feel like I do very well on really hard golf courses where pars are good scores, where you've got to drive it in the fairway, you've got to hit it on the green. You know, you've really got to control your ball. I feel like it keeps me mentally in it longer. When I'm on really tough golf courses, I feel like I'm more focused because I'm really trying to hit the ball to a certain spot, instead of a lot of times when I struggle sometimes is just staying mentally focused on every shot.

Q. Your driver is a huge strength for you. How much are you able to use it on a par 70, and what are your thoughts on having two par 5s to close out the round on 17 and 18?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: The two par 5s, I mean, it's obviously different. You're usually -- I don't know if I've ever played a course that had back-to-back par 5s.

It's different, but I've played par 70 courses all the time where you only get two par 5s, so it's nothing new.

This golf course, I hit a lot of drivers. It's par 70, but it's quite long. I feel like I wear out my 8- and 9-iron on the par 4s. And then the par 3s are fairly long, too. I hit a lot of 5-irons it feels like.

Yeah, I really have been driving the ball really well this year. I like this golf course. I think it sets up well for me off the tee. So I'm looking forward to this week.

Q. Talking about Ryder Cup a little bit, Davis Love has said that he wants you and Jordan to get a sense of who you want to partner with, who you want to pair with, as he approaches making final selections because we're in the home stretch here. Do you have a sense, who would you like to play with in The Ryder Cup?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It doesn't matter to me. I'll take any of them. They are all good players. I feel like I can partner well with anybody. So you know, me and Jordan have played. We played in The Presidents Cup. I've played with Kuch; me and him have had some success.

Yeah, it doesn't matter.

Q. Darren Clarke just a little while ago said he thinks The European Team is the underdog. Davis Love predicted he would say that. What do you think?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Again, it doesn't matter. You've still got to go out and play good golf. You can rate each team every year for the past ten years, or past ten times and it doesn't matter. What team's supposed to win, that doesn't mean anything. You've still got to go out and play. You've still got to go out and hit the shots and make the putts. It's not -- all the guys on both teams are very good golfers. And so, you know, whoever plays the best that week is going to win.

Q. I'm just curious, what's going on with your mustache and beard? You won the U.S. Open with it. You just got tired of it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know, just change it up. I finished ninth at the British, so I shaved it (laughter).

JOHN DEVER: Dang. Punish that beard.

Q. Do you feel, as U.S. Open Champion, did you feel any differently when you teed it up at the British? And if you didn't, why didn't you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Maybe a little. I mean, like I've said before, I wasn't playing the British trying to win my first major. I've won one.

It might have been a little bit different. I felt good. I mean, my golf game feels good right now, so I feel good every time I step on the tee.

But yeah, the mind-set might have been just a little bit different but not much. Not much changes with me (smiling).

Q. Two questions regarding your length and the back-to-back par 5s. Are you able to get to 17 in two shots, and I assume 18 is not a problem for you in two shots; do you think other than you, there are other players who could go eagle, eagle?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, unless the course firms up a little bit, 17, I mean, it's just a little bit -- right now, it's too soft. Yesterday I hit a pretty good drive. It was a little downwind and I still had 295 front or something. So it's not really doable, unless it firms up.

18, yes. But I feel like, yes, 17, you're going to have to hole a wedge shot. And obviously 18, everybody is going to reach 18.

Q. Do you have the same desire to win your second major as you did trying to win your first major?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, that doesn't change. I want to win. I want to win every major. Maybe even more of a desire to get a second one.

Q. A lot of the guys have been saying that this season in particular, it's been tougher to prepare for some of these events because the schedule has been so packed together. Do you feel like it's affected you at all, or not really?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't think so. I mean, whatever the schedule is, I feel like I'm at a point where I can prepare for it. You know, it's definitely different, playing so many majors pretty close together. But I don't know, I've done pretty well this year, so I kind of like it.

Q. You're a real even-keeled guy, as we all know. Do you ever get angry on the golf course, especially considering some of the more interesting things that have occurred to you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I get angry sometimes, but I never get too angry. I mean, it's just a game. I love it. And yeah, I get frustrated, but I try to not let it get me too upset. I mean, I don't get upset over bad shots or anything like that. I mean, I've hit so many of them in my career as a golfer that hitting a bad shot doesn't really bother me.

But yeah, I get more frustrated than anything if I'm just struggling a little bit.

Q. Do you have an angry inch in there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it takes a lot, but yeah. I'm one of those where once you push me over the edge, I can get really upset. But it takes a lot to get there -- you won't get there (laughs).

Q. Are you aware that you could reach No. 1 this week in the world?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah.

Q. Will that be on your mind much, and what will it mean to you if you get there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it won't be on my mind. I mean, I'm going to go out and try to focus on what I've got to do and playing golf. The rest of the stuff, I try not to worry about, or actually I don't worry about. I just go out and play golf and try to shoot the best score I can. You know, if at the end of the week, if I'm on top of the leaderboard and I get to No. 1, obviously that would be great and be a big accomplishment.

Q. Why are you so much better as a wedge player now? How are you different as a wedge player and why are you so much better?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've actually practiced my wedge game this year for the first time, probably since I've been on Tour, I actually worked on it. I got a TrakMan and I used it to work on my wedge game. It's something that's easy for me. I can do it every week. I do it on practice days. I do it even before I tee off while I'm warming up. That's been the biggest difference for me is just working on my wedge game.

Q. What does get under your feathers -- ruffle your feathers, get under your skin, either on the course or off the course?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Not much. Bad drivers. That's about it.

Q. When did you first play Baltusrol, and what was the first impression you had?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: My first time playing Baltusrol was yesterday. And I like the golf course. I think it's in really good shape. I feel like it sets up well for me. I mean, it's pretty long. You've got to drive it straight. It's definitely a premium on hitting the fairways. The rough's pretty deep and thick. But I like the shape to the holes, the big greens with a lot of slope on them. This is a golf course that I like.

Q. And just to put it in different context, can you think of a course that you got to, that you thought, man, not my favorite; maybe not your favorite, but not one that doesn't really fit me.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I like the golf course, but I can't play it worth a darn is Olympic Club. I like it, though. It's weird. Just I'm terrible out there, though.

I played the U.S. Am there. I made it to match play, but then I think I lost in the first round of match play. It sets up great for like a Colt Knost.

Q. As you mentioned, you do have a different mind-set for like a major like this; what kind of mind-set is that, and is a positive factor for you to win again?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm sorry, I didn't understand.

Q. You said you do have a different mind-set for a major like this, right?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, my mind-set's not any different. Going into this week, get a game plan for what I want to do off the tee, and you know, I'll stick to my game plan. I've got a pretty good game plan for this golf course, and just go to work.

JOHN DEVER: Dustin Johnson, thank you for your time. Have a great week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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