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THE NORTHERN TRUSTAugust 27, 2017Dustin JohnsonOld Westbury, New York ALEX URBAN: We'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson, winner of The Northern Trust 2017 in a playoff over Jordan Spieth. Dustin, this is your second win in this event, your fourth win in the FedExCup Playoffs in your career, and this moves you to No. 1 in the FedExCup. Talk about the win today and that playoff victory. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, it was a big win for sure. Especially after the start I got off to this year, and then you know, having an injury there right before Augusta. It's been a tough road to get back to where I feel like my game's able to compete out here again. You know, finally this week's the first week that I felt like my game was in really good shape and is back to where it was, where I feel like I've got complete control over it. I felt like I played really good all week this week. Q. What were you thinking going into 6 tee down five? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, nothing really. Just keep -- the golf course is tough. I mean, it's not -- there's no gimmies anywhere out here. I knew I was playing well, swinging well. I had great looks 1 through 5. I was hitting great shots. You know, hit good putts, too, that were just burning the edges. So I knew I just needed to keep swinging well ask keep giving myself opportunities. Eventually it was going to go in. I had to make some eventually. But obviously down five, though, I knew I needed something to happen, and fortunately he gave a couple back there on 6 to kind of let me back in a little bit. Still, he was 3-up standing on 7 tee. You know, I hit a great shot into, I had good looks at 7 and I hit a great shot into 8, six, seven feet, missed it. Finally made my first birdie on 9, and birdied 10. So got back; squared it up through ten holes there. The back nine was a lot of fun. I knew it was going to be tough and come down to the end, and it did. It was a lot of fun. It was fun to finally be in the hunt again and to finally be in the hunt and know that my game is going to hold up under the pressure. Q. Two things. What were your options? Jordan says he was surprised you laid up on 18 in regulation. And when you crested the hill and saw where your ball was, 18 feet away, threw your head back, how bleak did it look at that point? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I saw where he was, so I knew he was going to have a really tough 2-putt. He did hit a great first putt. I mean, unbelievable first putt down there two feet. Yeah, I knew I was going to have to make it when I walked up there. That was just, I was going to have to make that putt. I figured, you know, even seeing where he was, you know, his touch and speed and everything is always very good. I knew he was going to get it down in two. So I knew I was going to have to make that. I did -- I thought I hit a lot better shot than that. I thought my par putt was going to be much closer, and ended up being just the right distance -- I guess. I mean, it went in (laughing). But you know, the first time around, laying up there, I mean, I just -- I couldn't get it to the green with the lie I had. It was a little bit on a downslope. It wasn't a good lie. The best case scenario is maybe get it in one of the bunkers or it was going to be in the rough there short somewhere, which is not an easy pitch to get close. So you know, I figure my best bet was, I know I'm swinging really well and hitting my wedges good, you know, to leave myself at a good number, which I did. You know, thought I hit a much better shot, though. Ended up making the putt. Q. Jordan was just in here talking about in the playoff hole on 18, he said the wind switched when you guys went to play it and he was hoping you didn't notice that. Did you consider taking that same line in regulation? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yes, I did, and I don't know why I didn't. Even with a little bit of hurt -- the wind kind of died down there when we were finishing, so it wasn't really blowing. It's only 300 carry. I can cover that. Right after I hit my drive, I was like, what am I doing, you know, because I hit myself -- I hit myself in the worst possible spot that I could be in. Even if I aim left and cut it and it goes in the bunker; a much better position than I am in the right rough with 210 yards to the hole. I mean, I've got no chance. But yeah, I told AJ, I was like, if we go into a playoff, there's no way I'm going to the right again. Unless the wind is in the face; the right, it's actually a hard drive for me to go down the right side. Q. Did you go down the left side mostly this week? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was always into the wind. So I just knew I could hit it down the right and had no worry about going through. But the wind did switch and downwind, which I knew was going to obviously play into my hands, because I can hit it, you know, well over the water and have a wedge in, which is what happened. I mean, it's a tough shot to that flag to get a 7-iron close. I mean, Jordan hit a pretty good shot. It just chased just through the green. But I was coming in with a 60, so it was definitely, the odds went to my favor for sure. Q. Jordan was putting great all week, making 20-footers and making a lot of putts and you were talking a while ago about how you had to keep with it and you were burning the lip on different cases. How do you make sure you don't get down or get into the mind-set that this guy is making everything and you can't get them to fall? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I was hitting it -- fortunately, I was hitting it very close, and I was -- I never really hit a bad putt. I was hitting all my putts good, where I wanted to. They were just burning the edges. I was hitting them with good speed. I knew eventually I was going to get a putt that I could get a good read on and I was going to make it. You know, that didn't really come until No. 9 today. That was the first time I actually had a putt where I knew exactly what it was going to do. Made that one and made one on 10. From there, obviously it was just kind of a battle against Jordan. It was fun. We both played really well, especially there on the back nine. 17, we kind of flip-flopped. I hit a really good bunker shot in there close and he had a 20-footer and made it for par. I kind of did the same thing to him on 18 and got into the playoff. Q. The putter buy another week in the bag? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's going to stay in the bag. I feel like it's rolling okay. Q. Does this win mark the return of pre-Masters Dustin Johnson? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I feel about as good as I did before Augusta. I feel like I'm driving it really good again. I'm controlling my irons very well, hitting a lot of quality iron shots close to the hole. You know, got the wedges -- my wedges are dialed back in where I'm controlling the distance very well. Every time I had a wedge shot this week, I felt like I hit a really good shot and gave myself really good looks at birdie. Then yesterday, kind of the same thing on 14. I didn't hit a great tee shot. I hit it to the right. Got in the rough behind the trees, chipped it out and wedged it to five feet and saved par. Where probably before, you know, I would have been going for that shot trying to get it close to the green where I could get it up-and-down. Same thing on 18 today. Usually I would -- or before, I had a lot of confidence in my wedges. I would have definitely gone for that shot and probably hit myself in a bad spot and made a bogey; where today, I knew if I just gave myself a good number, I'm going to have a pretty decent look at par. I knew I just needed to make par. That's what would get me in the playoff after that point. Q. After México, you said you felt unbeatable. Do you feel like that again? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't think I ever said that again. You might have said that. I didn't. (Laughter). Q. He asked you -- DUSTIN JOHNSON: I never said that because in golf, you're never unbeatable. It's just a fact. It's never going to be that way. But you're never unbeatable, that's for sure. I don't have feel like that. I feel like I'm going to compete and I'm going to contend for sure. But you know, next week, obviously the game is in really good form. I'm definitely looking forward to that. I like the golf course. I think it sets up well for me. Yeah, I'm definitely happy with the golf game right now. Q. You were very confident that day. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Obviously, I guess. (Laughter). Q. The putt on 18 in regulation that you made, that's the kind of putt that Jordan has been throwing on other guys the last couple of years. How did it feel to throw one of those on Jordan? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it felt good. A lot of my wins, usually I've just had to like 2-putt on 18, or had an easy go at it. This was the first one I've really had to work at. So it was nice. It was good to make the putt, especially when I really needed to make one. You know, it felt really good. I was definitely very excited. This is probably the most excited I've been on a golf course in a while. But yeah, that was the first time that I really had to work hard for my win. I've been in playoffs, but I haven't -- never won. Q. You've never really had to make a putt like that, either to force a playoff or get into -- is it safe to say that's the biggest putt of your career? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I don't know. They are all pretty big at this point I guess. It was very nice and it came at a very good time to make that putt. Q. You gave me nothing on Wednesday with this, but I asked if you felt like a bit of a forgotten man coming in, given the hype on others. Can you reveal if now that you've done this, if you felt that way -- like you mentioned, you're giving bigger fist-pumps and emotion out there than you have in a while. It clearly meant a lot to you. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't have forget myself. (Laughter). But yeah, I was flying maybe a little bit under the radar, but I was struggling. I was struggling a little bit coming in -- you know, coming in here. I was working really hard on the game. I think the best thing for me was having a week off last week, was a big help. Kind of set things back in rhythm, and came out here and had a good practice session on Tuesday. You know, another good practice session on Wednesday, and then I felt really confident every day this week with the golf swing. Q. But none of that fired you up in any way; that other guys were getting this attention? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I don't care. It doesn't bother me. Q. Two quick questions about the course. When two really high-quality players can separate themselves from the field like you guys did, does that say something about the quality of the golf course? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, this golf course was a fantastic golf course in unbelievable condition. Obviously as the week went on, it got tougher and tougher with it playing -- it firmed up a lot. Golf course was really good. It was tough, too. But yeah, I mean, I guess it kind of shows you, especially how good Jordan's playing right now; I feel like I'm finally playing good again. To separate ourselves like that from the field a little bit was, definitely says something about our games right now and how good of shape they are in. Q. How good is the clubhouse food here? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was good. It was good when I ate here. I had a chef here this week so I ate a lot at my house. Q. How would you describe the crowds today? Seemed like it was 50/50, based on who was behind at the time. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I love playing in New York. The fans like me, and so I hope they continue to like me, because if they don't, that's not any fun for sure because they can be mean. But they are always -- they seem to like me for some reason, and I love it. So I love coming up here and playing. I think the fans out here are great. I had a really good time this whole week. I had a lot of fans out there, so it was fun. Q. A lot of people seemed to call you Dusty. I don't know if you heard that, or is that something that they usually call you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. People call me Justin, Dustin, Jason, I don't know. It works. Whatever (laughter). Q. One more question about your drive on the first playoff hole when you decided to go over the water. It's one of those drives where the fans are going, I can't believe you would even attempt that or that you made it. Was there any point where you went: Wow, nice, I made it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I knew -- it was a shot, it was just a perfect drive for me. It covers only about 300, so that's no problem. It was really the only place I could hit it, especially with the wind when it switched to a little bit of help. There was really nowhere else I could go. But I was glad to see it be in the fairway, if that's what you're asking. Q. What was the last information you took from your green book on 18? DUSTIN JOHNSON: That was -- I mean, I just looked at it to see if I was seeing the same thing the green back had, and it was just going right-to-left the whole way. Q. You've got a certain history of things not always going well for you at the end. With a foot to go, was there any part of that you figured this thing was going to spin out? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I thought it was going to miss, for sure (laughter). I mean, I couldn't see how because I mean, it was coming in on like a perfect line. It just was not wanting to turn. But it -- obviously it turned just enough, because it -- I mean, but it still went all the way right. It still tried to go out, even once it hit the hole. It still tried to spit back out but it fell in. Q. When you watch yourself on the highlights, do you think you'll recognize the reaction? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I did. That was a weak fist-pump, too. I was just so happy. I thought it was going to miss and then it went in and, yeah, it was weak, though, I have to say. (Laughter). But I was excited. Q. Are you aware how wild it sounds to the ordinary golfer when you say 300 yards is no problem to cover? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, because I'm used to it, so (laughing). Q. What would it take for you to just like go out of control, like on the 18th green? Because we're talking about how subdued you are, like winning the Masters and another U.S. Open, are you always going to subtle fist-pump it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'll probably keep it pretty calm for the most part. Maybe if -- yeah, I don't know. I don't know what it would take. But we'll see. Maybe if I win the FedExCup or something, I'll go nuts, because I've got 10 million cash in my pocket (laughter). Q. Nine. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Nine, okay, but you get another million for winning the tournament, so technically ten. ALEX URBAN: We'd like to thank Dustin for his time. Congratulations on winning The Northern Trust 2017. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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