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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 26, 2017

Dustin Johnson

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

MARK WILLIAMS: Like to welcome Dustin Johnson to the interview room at the RBC Canadian Open. Thanks for joining us.

Last week you shot a really good score, and then struggled a little on Sunday. Coming here all the way from the Open has to be a bit challenging. Just some thoughts on coming to the Canadian Open following your performance there.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously I did play -- I played a good round on Saturday, and then yeah, just struggled on Sunday a little bit with everything. Obviously coming over here, I've played here the last couple years at Glen Abbey. I like this golf course. I've played well here the last couple years, and you know, I'm looking forward to it this year.

I feel like the game is starting to turn around, and it's a good time for it to do that. Got a few big weeks ahead of me this week, next week and then the PGA. So you know, it's been good. Just working hard.

MARK WILLIAMS: You did mention you've had some good form here. You obviously finished second last year, and also in 2013 I think it was, so you're comfortable on this golf course. It's a good opportunity for you to regain the lead in the FedExCup. You unfortunately relinquished it last week to Jordan by just a little margin there, but you have a chance to hopefully get it back with a victory this week. And with, what, five or six events left until the FedExCup Playoffs, some good opportunities for to you maybe get back in the lead there.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's close. But yeah, I've got three more events before the Playoffs start. I have the Canadian Open, the WGC in Akron and the PGA. So I've got three big tournaments in a row, and you know, I'm working hard on the game.

Starting to see signs of it getting back to form; you know, how it was before Augusta when I unfortunately injured myself a little bit there. But it's coming around. I've been working hard and hopefully we'll start to see some good things here in the next few weeks.

Q. My question is: Based on what happened going into the Masters and after that, mentally, emotionally or physically, what has been the hardest thing that you've had to deal with?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean a little bit of everything probably. Well not really emotional, but you know, physical; obviously I injured my back. It wasn't no bone or anything like that. It was just muscle.

So I'm still feeling the effects of it. No pain or anything like that. But it's still a little tight. I'm having to get worked on a good bit just to try to loosen up those muscles and those tendons where it got injured.

Obviously mental, just a little lack of confidence maybe. Just because obviously I was playing so well leading into that, and you know, probably the last -- you know, for ten or 12 months, about a year leading up to the Masters, I've been playing really good golf. Maybe even more than a year.

So you know, just it's been a little bit of a struggle just to get back. I've had to put in a lot of work just to get back to where I was. Starting to see signs of it. It's all good. It's all positive and it's all definitely moving forward.

Q. A lot's been made of the work you've been doing with TrakMan the last year or so, but this course has given up the most eagles since 2013, the most 320-yard plus drives. If you were to be successful on this course, is it your power that gives you that or more your short game that makes you be successful?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, around here, if I'm driving it straight, then I'm going to play really well. The fairways aren't very wide, but if you're in the fairway, you can attack the flags. The course isn't very long, but you've got to be in the fairway, so you can hold the greens. So for me, it's a lot about driving. I've got to drive it in the fairway and if I do that, I'm going to play well.

Q. I'm sure you've been asked this before, but can you just comment on Glen Abbey itself and playing it in the past and how it fits you?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I like the golf course. It's in perfect condition. You can't find anything wrong with it. The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect.

Like I was just saying, for me, if I drive it straight, I'm going to have a good week.

Q. Of course you're part of hockey royalty here with Paulina and the family. Your thoughts on getting to the par 3, 7th hole, did you snipe any on the net? What are your impressions of what they have done to that 7th hole?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's pretty cool. Obviously with the rink wall up around it, it's a neat thing they did. Yeah, I did, I hit a few shots in the net.

Q. After playing The Open last week, how do you prepare your body and your mind to come over here with the time change and the travel?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, coming back this way from over there is a lot easier than going. So it was fine coming back here. Having Monday, kind of a day off Monday, just slept a little bit, not too much. We didn't get in until really late, but worked out and kind of tooled around the city a little bit.

Traveling this way, I feel like traveling west is a lot easier. So I'm back on a normal time schedule.

Q. With the Canadian Open being the third-oldest championship behind the British and the U.S., do you feel that Glen Abbey is a course that it should be home to; it should stay at one course, similar to other events on TOUR, or do you think it should be rotated because it is a National Championship and see some of Canada's best golf courses?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I've played it here and I think I've played it maybe in MontrÃ©al is the only other place I've played. I like this golf course. I've got no issues with it being here. I like coming here. I like Toronto. It's a good city. I enjoy playing this golf course. So whatever they decide to do with it is okay with me.

MARK WILLIAMS: You're in the No. 1 spot in the official World Ranking this year with your three victories earlier in the year. Jason Day who was the No. 1 player and was a recent winner of the RBC Canadian Open, he commented frequently about how when he was the No. 1 player in the world, how much work he wanted to put in and retain that position. How do you feel about that?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, for me, it kind of pushes me to work harder and to try to get better. It's just a place where I enjoy being. I like being the best and I want to stay the best.

So for me, it gives me a little more drive to continue to do the things that I'm doing in the gym, on the course, off the course, all the things -- I know that my recipe that I've got right now is working. So it gives me a lot of confidence in what I'm doing, so it definitely drives me to work a little harder.

Q. You're sort of like an honorary Canadian with your relationship with the Gretzky family. Do you feel that sort of from the crowd, since you've been in that relationship with Paulina? And I'm shot not sure if she's around this weekend; do you have some plans to take some things in in Toronto before you go to Ohio next week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm staying downtown and I've been here a couple of times. I enjoy the city. It's a great city. The fans have been great since the first time I came. It's definitely a big boost. When I'm out there on the course, I've always got a lot of fans and they are always supporting me a lot. It's a lot of fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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