MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 4, 2017

Dustin Johnson

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. We're pleased to welcome Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, to the interview room.
Dustin had an exceptional year in 2016 with three wins, including the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Dustin has continued that momentum this year with wins at the Genesis Open, the WGC México Championship, and the WGC Dell Match Play. Last year, Dustin finished tied for fourth at the Masters, a career best.
Before we open it up to questions, Dustin, could you describe how you're feeling about your game coming into the tournament this year?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I feel like my game's really solid right now. I feel like I've been working hard on it and I feel like I'm playing really well. It's a lot of fun.

Q. Obviously you have a great start to the year. You're coming in here with all of the momentum that you could ever hope for. And while I'm sure those victories mean a lot to you, if you can parlay that into a victory this week, does it mean a little less? How does that work for you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, golf, it's a funny game. It doesn't matter how good you're playing, you can still not win. Same goes for this week. If I want to win here, everything's going to have to go well for me. I'm going to have to drive it well, hit my irons well, putt it well. Everything is going to have to be really good.
You know, I've got a lot of confidence in my game right now, especially with the way I've been playing the last few tournaments. But, you know, anything can happen.

Q. And if I may follow up, a lot of confidence in your game, is there one particular area that might be your main concern this week that you're saying, the one area that cannot let you down at all?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, if you want to win around here, you're going to have to putt it well. That's something that I feel like if I putt very well, I'm going to have a chance to win on Sunday.

Q. Could you just describe the thought process you go through before a shot?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's not too much. I get my number and kind of where I want to hit it and try to picture the shot going in.

Q. Has the game always felt like you could make it that simple or was that something that you had to learn over time?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I feel like when it's going well, it's that simple. When it's not going well, it gets a little more complicated.

Q. What have you learned in your relationship with Wayne about what it takes to be an elite athlete and champion?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Just from being around him and obviously I spend a lot of time with him, but, you know, just hard work and dedication. Just from listening to him tell stories about him growing up and how much he used to practice, you know, and work hard. That's pretty much it.

Q. Do you pick his brain or does he just offer suggestions, advice, whatever?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, probably a little bit of both.

Q. With the improvements you've made in your game, how much more comfortable are you around here than when you first got here and how much more do you think you can take on this place than when you originally arrived?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I've always liked the course, since I came. I always thought it suited my game very well. It's a tough golf course, and like I was saying, everything in your bag needs to be working for you to play well around here.
You know, the last couple years, I've done a little bit better and I feel like I've had a chance. Yeah, obviously I'm playing well coming into this week, so hopefully I can continue that success and I'm looking forward to giving myself a chance to win on Sunday.

Q. You're the favorite to win here and yet no favorite has won here, I think, since 2005. Why do you think that is? Why do you think it's been so hard for the No. 1 guy to come through at this course?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, you know, again, like I was saying, everything's got to be working this week. Just like any major. If you want to win, you know, you're going to have to drive it well. You're going to have to hit your irons well. You're going to have to putt it well. So that's going to be‑‑ that's what it takes to win.
And you know, there's‑‑ I don't know how many guys are in the field, but they are the best golfers in the world, so you've got to bring your best stuff if you want to win.

Q. Obviously usually the guy who is the No. 1 guy is doing all those things well coming into here, so is there something about this course, about the pressure of being the leader, the favorite, that can get to people?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. It's the first time I've ever been the favorite.

Q. How much, if any, distance did you lose when you went to more of a cut off the tee, and what was the trigger that made you finally decide to go all in on playing a cut?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't think I lost any distance with the driver. Just got a little bit straighter.
It was last year after Doral maybe. Yeah, I think it was last year after Doral when I really started hitting cut all the time with the driver. Because it cost me the tournament on Sunday, just with the drivers and the balls. For me, when I would hit a draw, I just wasn't getting enough spin. So I hit a couple balls that just kind of were decent shots. They just kind of dove a little bit. I hit it in the water on 10; made double. Hit another ball somewhere that ended up costing me the tournament. After that, I kind of just went to hitting a fade.

Q. How long do you think it took you to get comfortable knowing exactly where it was going?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I've been playing a lot like at home, and in the off‑season, hitting cuts, and it kind of started fading a lot more with everything. But I'd still try to turn it over occasionally. But I don't know, it didn't take me long. I liked it. After you practice a little bit or play at home a bunch, I started to just see a cut and worked out.

Q. What motivates you the most on a day‑to‑day basis?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I guess, obviously, the drive to be it the best, you know, my family, and supporting my family.

Q. People have talked about how the way you've learned how to control distance with your wedges and short irons has been such a key because it's helped your putting because you're hitting it closer. How long was that process and how difficult was that process to get it down?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, takes a lot of practice. I started last year, I think, in L.A. and been doing it ever since. So you know, just it's all repetition. So just the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it. But I mean, it's still, you know, some days, it's easier than others to hit it the distance I want to.

Q. Also people have talked a lot about the fact that you had some very difficult losses in majors and other players might have been sort of traumatized by those. But you say you let them kind of slide off of you and go to the next thing. Is that just your personality or was it tougher than maybe you made it look?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I think, I don't know, my personality, but obviously they are tough losses. No one likes to lose. But at the end of the day, it's still a game and still have fun doing it. And you know, I enjoy coming back out here the next day.

Q. Dustin, following up on Doug's question, this has long been thought to be a right‑to‑left golf course. Last year going to the fade, how many times did you try to hit a draw and are there some holes where you definitely will try to still work it right‑to‑left?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Not with the driver, I won't. If I need a draw, I'll just hit a 3‑wood.
No. 10 is really the only hole where I need to turn it over. Other than that, I feel like my fade works just fine on every hole.

Q. And if I can just follow up, a lot of rain so far, more rain in the forecast tomorrow. Does that play into your hands as one of the longest hitters on the TOUR?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, if it's soft, obviously it's going to, it will definitely help. With the forecast, with the wind on Thursday and Friday, the golf course is going to play very difficult. So I think it's going to‑‑ the short game is going to be very important around here because if it's blowing 27 miles an hour, like it's forecasted for, it's going to be tough to hit the greens. You're going to really have to be careful where you hit it and just try to make pars.

Q. Your native state is on a pretty good run athletically, including your U.S. Open. What does it say about South Carolina and the success recently?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, we've been on a good run. The women won the other night which is nice, and Coastal won the baseball. Hate to say Clemson won the football. I'm a Gamecocks fan. It's good it was in‑state. But I don't think I'll ever hear the end of that.

Q. Is it a day‑to‑day buzz being No. 1? Do you count the weeks that you stay at No. 1, or can you imagine telling your grandchildren about being No. 1, or actually is it always just come down to major victories?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, I don't count the weeks. But honestly, it's nice to hear it, that's for sure. For me, it drives me to practice more and to continue to work on my game and continue to try to get better so I can stay there. But you know, as far as counting how long I've been No. 1, I don't even know.
But yeah, I mean, I think it's something that I'll tell my grandkids, if I make it that far (laughter).

Q. You're a fierce competitor and successful, but your demeanor is mild mannered and softly spoken. To those that don't know you, how would you describe your personality?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have no idea. You'd have to ask someone that knows me, I guess. I mean, I just feel like I'm pretty laid back. But, yeah, I mean, I have a drive to win and to be the best, no matter what sport I'm playing or what I'm doing.

Q. Where do you think that drive comes from, and has it always been there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: As far as I can remember, I think so.

Q. Kind of following up on that, do you ever recall ever getting mad on a golf course? Have you ever displayed being upset and do you recall when that might have been?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I've gotten frustrated a few times. Probably when I was younger. I still get mad now, but I just don't show it as much. I was taught very young that it's not the right way to act, and so I just kind of just stopped. It doesn't look very good when you do it. So my dad, he didn't like it. So I learned very quickly not to do it anymore. But I still get frustrated and just like everybody else, I just try not to show it too much.

Q. A lot of players say that they want to be the best; they want to be No. 1. When did that start to become real for you? When did you really believe that maybe you were the best and could be the best?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: When I made it to No. 1?

Q. A lot of players say that they want to be the best in the world. When did that become real to you; that you believed you could be the best?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: When Tiger stopped playing (laughter). I mean, I don't know. Past couple years, I think I've been in the Top‑10 for awhile. I knew it was definitely a possibility, but I was going to have to get better.
Obviously, over the last year or so, I've gotten‑‑ I feel like my game's gotten a lot better. But I always believed that I could get there.

Q. If not for the six‑month break that you had at the end of 2014, would you be here where you are now?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know.

Q. What do you think?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I really don't know. Maybe not.

Q. But it seems like in even some of your losses and some of the majors, you've always tended to come out better the other side. Was that the case here?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, kind of for me, always growing up, I know everybody makes mistakes, but for me, it's always‑‑ I just felt like I've always learned from them and tried not to do them again.
Even losing, some of my losses in the majors, I try to take everything positive out of it and learn from it and do better the next time.

Q. What did last year's Masters mean to you? You had a chance down the stretch; if a couple putts had fallen, you were in the mix. Is that something that you took a lot of good out of when you left here?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, absolutely. I thought that, you know, on 15, especially after I knocked it on. I hit it on in two, I hit a great shot from over there on the left side. I knew I had a chance. But, yeah, it was a lot of fun. Hopefully, I'm coming on the back nine this year with a chance to win.
But, yeah, I mean, it was the first time I really had a chance to win, so it was good to finally actually have a chance.

Q. Who were your early golf influences? I know you played a lot of sports growing up. Why golf? Were you close to going another direction sports‑wise?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, I did play‑‑ I played basketball, baseball, soccer and golf kind of growing up. Those were my kind of four sports I played a lot of. Golf is just a sport that, you know, I played‑‑ I made the varsity team in seventh grade, so I got to play varsity golf.
It was one sport, too, where you didn't really have to‑‑ you relied just on yourself. You didn't have to count on anyone else. It was just you and the golf course. If you played good, it was on you. If you played bad, it was on you. That was just one reason why I really loved the sport and why I continue to play it.

Q. Earlier on when you were breaking in, who were some of your earlier influences?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, growing up, my dad, a club pro still and he's a teaching pro, Kevin Britt and Jimmy Koosa were guys who kind of helped me as I was growing up.

Q. In the last few weeks, lots has been said and written about you. Yesterday Rickie Fowler called you a freak of nature. What's your take on that? He was being nice.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I realize that (laughter).
No, I mean, I think it's great, especially from the guys, all the guys. They are all great players and they are all very good, and they are all guys that I've got to beat. So, you know, when they are saying nice things about you, that's a good thing.

Q. What are some thoughts on Amen Corner? Just about the difficulty, the strategy about it, and also just the way it looks and thoughts about it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, it's a great part of the golf course. That's a lot of fun and it's always very interesting, especially‑‑ I mean, 11's tough. It's just a tough hole.
12's always probably one of the more difficult 145‑yard par 3s there are that we play. It's just a tough hole. It's really tough to get the wind correct there. It's tough to hit the green.

Q. What did you hit there usually?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Anywhere from wedge to 7‑iron. Just all depends. But no matter which one I'm hitting, I'm just trying to hit it on the green.

Q. Apologies if you've already covered this. I'm late to the party here. But it goes without saying, you obviously hit the ball a long way. But much has been said over the last year that perhaps your success in the last year or so has been in large part due to the work that you've put in on your short game. I wonder if you can talk a little bit about what you think the significance of that is and how hard have you worked on your short game in the last year or so?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, my wedge game's definitely improved. I worked hard on it over the last, probably 14 months or 15 months. It's really the last year, starting around L.A. is when I really decided that I was going to work hard on my wedge game. It was something that I never really‑‑ I practiced, but not like, you know, just a certain way. I've got three shots with each wedge and I'll work on the same three shots with each wedge every day pretty much. That's where it's improved.
It's nothing‑‑ there's no rocket science behind it. It's just pretty simple. It's helped me a lot with just distance control. Just knowing exactly how far my wedges go, and it's something that I never really had done before.

Q. Just out of curiosity, the three shots are what?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, for me, I call it a half, a three‑quarter and a full. But don't know exactly where that is in my swing. It's just what I feel. And you know, like my lob‑wedge is 85, 95 and 105.

Q. When you took your break from golf, do you feel you returned a changed person? I'm thinking of what you were saying about handling frustration now and that sort of thing?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I think I've always been good with handling mishaps or losses or anything like that. Just something that I've always dealt with pretty well.
But I think the biggest thing for me was when me and Paulina had our son, Tatum, that was probably the biggest change in my life. That probably contributed to a lot of my success.

Q. In what sort of way, if you could expand upon that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It changes your perspective on things. For me, now he's got‑‑ him and Paulina are the most important things in my life. And golf, obviously I love to play it and it's very important, but at the end of the day, I still get to go home to them. No matter what kind of day I had, it always gets better when I see Tatum.

Q. One of the beauties of this course is it's familiarity and you get to play the same holes every year, if you're a returning player. Of course sometimes you can have bad shots and bad holes here and you have to face those demons when you come back. As someone who has faced adversity in your golfing career, what is the secret to making sure that those ghosts don't get the better of you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I don't know, like you said, the golf course, you're playing the same holes every year, which is definitely nice. It's the only major that we do that on.
But I don't know. I try not to think about the demons. Just think about the good shots I've hit. You know, every time you step up on a hole, it seems like it plays different than the day before. So it feels like you're always hitting different shots.
MODERATOR: Dustin, we wish you all the best this week.

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