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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 13, 2017

Dustin Johnson

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. How do you assess this day?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well I was playing pretty well through 12 holes, I guess. I felt like I hit a good shot on 13 and just came up short there and didn't get up-and-down. Lipped out for par.

14's playing difficult, made actually a good bogey there.

Just didn't finish very good. Kind of got a bad lie there on 16 in the right rough, hit it in the water. Then I thought I hit a great shot once I dropped, and then went just over, I don't know how it went over, but it went over in the water again. So made double there.

And then 3-putt 17.

Made a good 4 on 18.

But it definitely started to play a little tougher there at the end. The wind picked up and it was really blowing pretty hard. But felt like I played a little better today, even though my score doesn't show it.

Q. What was better about your game?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Just felt like I was hitting better golf shots. Hitting it a lot more solid, hitting it where I wanted to. Just got a couple bad breaks there and shoot a couple over instead of a couple under.

Q. Is this course hard to measure how you're playing based on your score?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think so. It's a course where if you hit some good shots and get a couple good breaks you can shoot a really good score. The way the wind is blowing like this, it's going to be very difficult this afternoon.

Q. For the guys teeing off in the last couple groups is even going to be a pretty good score?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, for me even at this golf course is a good score all the time, so, yeah, I would say so.

Q. It's not going to get any easier out there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it's not. The wind's kind of, it's not like it's blowing steady one direction, it kind of moves a good bit for some reason. Even par is always a good score around here, I think.

Q. Does playing this golf course take away some of your strengths playing with handcuffs on because you can't just unleash the hounds?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean I don't hit many drivers around here, but I feel like I drive it straighter with my driver than any other club in the bag. So, yeah, a little bit.

Q. Is that frustrating or does it get frustrating when you can't just -- other than the par-5s?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's frustrating when it forces you to lay up and you still hit it in the rough, that's frustrating.

Q. What did you hit on 12?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Oh, I went for it and hit it over there just short right a little bit. Just pushed it a hair.

Q. With what?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: 3-iron. But I would have got there no problem today. It's kind of down off the left. I thought I hit a pretty good pitch, just came up 20 feet short.

Q. Did you go for it the other two days or lay back?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I laid up the first day, I went for it yesterday and today. I made par every time. I had it horseshoe on me the first day, the day I laid up. Yesterday I made a pretty good par. I hit a terrible shot off the tee way right.

Q. Is it a good hole?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think they need to soften the left side a little bit. Today Justin, he hit a great shot right at the center of the green and it kind of just kicked a little left and trickled down and went in the water.

Q. What are you going to be playing from here on?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Next week, Memorial, and then U.S. Open.

Q. Does the USGA need to get this one right, given what's happened at the last couple? You've been sort of in the middle of one of them and the setup at Chambers Bay wasn't great, the women's U.S. Open didn't go down right?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: That wasn't the USGA's fault, Chambers Bay. It's just the golf course was, it wasn't in the best of shape. Everything from tee to green it was perfect, I liked the way it played, it played difficult, just the greens were, unfortunately, they were not very smooth and so.

Q. Or green.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, which is fine, we play the British Open, it's brown. That has nothing -- it doesn't look great on TV but for us it plays just fine. I really liked the golf course at Chambers Bay, it just, unfortunately, the greens got really fast and they were bumpy and it doesn't make for good putting surfaces.

Q. What will you do before Erin Hills?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm going to go up and see it after the Memorial for a couple days and then I'll come back on Monday.

Q. What did you do for Chambers? Do you remember?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think I got there a little bit early. Because I missed the cut at -- or no, I withdrew -- I don't know, I think I pulled out of Memphis. I got there Sunday or something. I think. That's a long time ago, man.

Q. Two years ago.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I know. That's a long time ago.

Q. Nothing at all has happened to you between then and now. What are you talking about. Nothing. Zero things.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've been doing all right.

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