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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 9, 2016

Dustin Johnson

Carmel, Indiana

Q. Great play so far this week. Did you think we were going to get all this in today?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, obviously the weather held off for us, which was great. It was good to get the round in today, it was crucial, I think, to be able to finish on time on Sunday.

Q. The new putter. Tell me about the new putter when was the decision made and how is it feeling?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I really didn't make the decision until right before the first round. So, but I practiced with it a little bit, I just felt like I have been putting it pretty well, but I was just struggling to get my putter on the line that I was seeing and so I just grabbed one of these putters and started rolling it and Itsy Bitsy Spider, it's a smaller Spider, the same one Jason Day uses. I played with him the last two weeks and saw him make enough putts and I was like, well, I got to try one at least. So I put it in play and been rolling it pretty good.

Q. Does it make a difference to be able to see the sight line?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it just, the ball's coming out where I'm looking, that's the only difference.

Q. Obviously we want you to play great this weekend. How much has your life changed since June?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Not much. It's still the same. I haven't changed anything.

Q. What a performance, tournament course record, 63 on Friday. What was working for you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Everything, well, obviously, I putted well, any time you shoot that good a score you putt really well and did I, I putted really well today. Drove it good, hit a lot of good iron shots, but I really rolled the putter nicely.

Q. You made that change with the putter, how has it had such an impact so quick?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, the ball's just coming out on my line. I feel like I always read the greens very well, I always have good speed, I'm just hitting a lot more putts on my line and they're going in.

Q. You made two eagles today as part of your performance. What was the plan on the par-5s?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: First you got to get it in the fairway and then just these greens, you're just trying to get it in the middle of the green somewhere and get a putt at it.

Q. At what point did you know it could be a special round and push it to a 63?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I felt like I was playing good, I played pretty solid, 4-under on the front and then, obviously, to make the eagle on 11, and I just kept going one hole at a time, just trying to hit each shot in the fairway and then on the green and get a look at it.

Q. Two eagles on the back.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, that was pretty sweet. Obviously made a -- I eagled 9, I chipped in out of the bunker.

And then lipped out for eagle on 11.

And then I made a nice putt there for eagle on 15.

Q. How do you feel like you drove it compared to yesterday?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I drove it a lot better today. I hit more fairways, it felt like. I don't know, stats wise, how I did, but I felt I hit more fairways. But just a little bit tighter, didn't really lose them out to the right. Yesterday I was just losing them to the right a little bit. But felt like I drove it a little bit better today and putted really well again.

Q. What do you think -- was there anything you fixed from yesterday?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, just moved my ball just a hair -- I think I was getting a little bit too far back in my stance with the driver and just moved it up a little bit. Seemed to work.

Q. If you were someone who had never won on TOUR and had the lead at this tournament and looked and saw you behind them would you be nervous?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I would be, for sure.

Q. Playing that good?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I feel like I'm rolling it well. Irons could still need a little bit of work, I'm not hitting those quite as good as I would like to, but it's getting there. It's getting better.

Q. What's the conditioning out there, considering all the rain?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: The course is holding up pretty good. Obviously it's nice that we got the lift, clean, and place, because it's really wet and I had a lot of mud balls today. So, I know they don't do it for mud, but if not it would be, you would be seeing a lot of squirrely shots, I think. But it's really soft, but the course has held up nicely.

Q. Feel like the par-5s set up pretty well? You were mentioning the lower scores.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: They're long. The first one I made par on, 4. I felt look I hit two really good shots, but I hit driver 3-wood, just pulled it a hair, landed like maybe 10 feet left of the flag and went down to the bunker and I just had a funky stance, tough shot. But, yeah, the par-5s setup well. You got to drive it in the fairway though.

Q. Are these your best two putting rounds of the year?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have no idea, but, yeah, I felt like I'm making putts. Even the ones that aren't going in, they all look like they're going in, so I like that.

Q. How familiar are you with Roberto's game? Seems to be a fairly big contrast between your game and his?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I played with him I think once on TOUR. We played together in college some, but, yeah, there's a lot of different ways to get it done on a golf course.

Q. He was kind of interesting, he said, no matter what the course or no matter what the player, the guy who usually wins that week is striping it. Do you believe that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well I believe the guy that wins is putting it well. Putting it the best. Because you're going to have -- you don't stripe it every single day, so if you're rolling the putter for four days or I feel like if I putt well for four days, I win, usually.

Q. Why did you switch this week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I was just struggling to get the ball to come out on the line I was seeing. No matter what I did, how much I practiced, I used training aids, whatever, it just wasn't working. So, just decided to switch it up.

Q. Could it be one of those things where just looking at something different at your feet makes you feel better?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah.

Q. Do you think the design of your new putter is better than the one you had before?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it doesn't matter, it's all -- it's different for every person. I've always liked the Spider, I've always thought it looked good, I just never could ever putt with it.

Q. The fact that all the weight is behind the ball, like physics, that's big, do you think?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't go into that stuff. As long as it goes where I'm looking.

Q. Did you ever take physics at Coastal?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, not there, but in high school. I got an A too, bud.

Q. Six competitive rounds at this course, your worst score is a 70. Does this course just set up well for your game?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I like the golf course. You get it hit a lot of drivers, it's pretty tough course, you got to drive it straight, I feel like the course sets up pretty well for me though.

Q. Any part of you getting at all frustrated over the last couple weeks of not getting better scores out of your game?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I was, for sure, last couple weeks. Why do you think I switched putters? Frustration.

Q. Were you playing that much differently all year? It's just a matter of putts going in?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, all the weeks, even some -- well, for about six months there I drove it really well, I was hitting it close, just wasn't putting well. That's why I finished top-5 every week instead of winning.

Then I even felt like at the U.S. Open I just hit it really well for four days and didn't putt it well. But I really wasn't playing so aggressive, I was just trying to make pars, but made the short putts, but that's, you know, I think you're supposed to make those. But, yeah, just I still can use a little bit of work on iron game but it's getting there. It's getting back to where it was.

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