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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 13, 2017

Dustin Johnson

Carmel, Indiana

AMANDA HERRINGTON: We'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson, our defending champion here at the BMW Championship. A two-time winner of the BMW Championship. Four time FedExCup Playoffs winner, most recently the Northern Trust to kickoff the Playoffs.

Dustin, how are you feeling?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Feeling good. I got off to great start in The Playoffs last week -- yeah, Boston. Couple good rounds, couple bad rounds.

I'm in a good position going into this week. Obviously would like to better that going into Atlanta but, yeah, I mean I'm feeling good, golf game is in good shape. Everything is going pretty well.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: An event that's bounced around, what's your thoughts on Conway Farms?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I played here what, two times it's been here, I guess and yeah, I like the golf course. It's in really good shape. You know, fairways, greens, everything is really nice. It's going to be -- the weather seems like it's going to be pretty good this week.

For me it's a golf course -- the rough is pretty deep. You're going to have to drive it well. For me that's the big key, if I drive it well, feel like I'll have a really good week.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: Did you have a good off week?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yes. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go home because of the storm but, yeah, it was nice.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: With that we'll start with questions.

Q. Dustin, we've seen some different types of players do well here, Zach Johnson and Furyk are obviously a little bit different types of players especially with length than a Jason Day who has also won here.
Is length an advantage here? Obviously length is an advantage anywhere but is it as much of an advantage here as it is other places?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean yeah, I think so. Like I said, if you're driving it well and driving it straight because the rough is pretty penal, really thick, but driving it good and long is definitely going to be an advantage.

The fairways are fairly generous so you just got -- if you can hit a lot of fairways you're going to shoot a good score whether you're long or not. There's a few long holes but, for the most part, you just want to put it in the fairway.

Q. Couple different questions, if you don't mind.
First of all, you look at the guys in the Top-5 here, do you feel like the old man here?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I guess. I don't feel old so no, I wouldn't say that. Yeah, I am the oldest for sure.

Q. Well at least -- about the youth that you find behind you, are you struck by that at all, how young this game has gotten?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. The young players come out are really good. Obviously Jordan and Justin and Jon. Those guys are very talented, Hideki, really good players and they're young and they're becoming really good players at a very early age.

So, it's good. I mean I like seeing it. I think the game of golf needs it and you know for me it pushes me to keep working harder, too, so I like it and yeah, I definitely am the veteran of the guys even though I don't feel like one yet.

But, you know, it keeps me young and working hard. So I enjoy it.

Q. Finally, the components in golf from tee to green, how do you really rank the whole idea of distance off the tee, how important is that relative to everything else you have to do in this game?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean yeah, I think it's important. All the younger guys coming out, they're all long. Distance is a big factor in the game of golf. If you look at the Top-10, every guy up there hits it far. There's no short hitter among the top guys in the world.

Q. I want to kind of take you back to two different situations. One was at Wilmington where you're sitting in the clubhouse waiting to see what someone else does, whether you get into a playoff, and the other one East Lake where you're sitting in the clubhouse waiting to see if you're going to get 3 million or 10 million.
What was the difference between the two?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: What was the difference? A lot of money (laughter).

Q. Both situations are out of hands. Just the idea of waiting, what it's like?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, it's different. So, one, obviously I'm kind of rooting to get in the playoff and the other one, no offense to Rory, but I was rooting for Chappy very hard. If he would have won I would have won the FedEx.

It's different. Obviously I would like to have been in a little more control of both situations but, unfortunately, I wasn't. But I mean it's still fun. I enjoyed it. Atlanta, you know, last year was definitely more exciting than waiting to see if I'm going to be in a playoff.

Q. Exciting in a --
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Up and down rollercoaster. It's still fun to watch. I enjoyed it.

Q. You're kind of renowned for being able to move on from losses, if you will, pretty quickly. Was that any different? How long did it take you to forget about the fact that you got screwed out of 7 million (laughter)?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I still remind Chappy of it all the time, "You cost me a lot of money, thanks" (laughter). I did it to myself. It had nothing to do with him. If I would have played a little better there on the back-9 on Sunday I mean I would have been the FedExCup Champion.

Q. If you can look back at this year, this would be hard, could you pick out one shot this year that was the most memorable for you and what it was?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean off the top of my head probably the sand wedge out of the bunker on 18 at Mexico was probably the most difficult shot I had under the circumstances. I hit a great shot. So, that was one shot there that really stands out.

Q. If you're talking to someone who is not all that familiar with golf, how do you explain where the FedExCup and a Major fit together in terms of your pecking order, your goals? Which one matters most?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I've won a Major. I haven't won the FedExCup so -- but to me they go pretty hand-in-hand. It's a big tournament where we get paid very, very well if we win.

So, you know it means a lot. So all the guys and for me it's something that I want to win and I drive myself to win it.

Being the FedExCup Champion is something that I want on my resume.

Q. Dustin, the BMW Championship kind of moves around a little bit. Last year Indy, this year here, next year Philly then it comes back to Chicago in two years it will be at Medinah.
Being a playoff event, do you like those tournaments moving around so much or might it be a little bit better if it had a more regular home base?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't mind. To me it doesn't really matter. I kind of like that it moves around a little bit like the first -- the Northern Trust does, too. It moves around to different courses.

I think it's good for golf to go to different areas and to have a big event at different venues. There's so many great courses. So for us to get to move around to all these great venues I think is good.

Q. You prepare any differently for a week where the scores are going to be lower versus an event where the winning score is closer to par?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Try to prepare no matter what tournament I'm playing the same.

Q. Dustin, if you were to have a nifty 10 million bonus in your bank account, which watercraft would you purchase next?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, for right now I have all the watercrafts that I need so I wouldn't buy anything, just -- it would go in the bank because I could use it.

Q. You would?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Absolutely (laughter). I mean --

Q. We know you're big on water sports. After the Presidents Cup is over what are you going to jump on first, going to be the jet ski or what's your favorite thing on the water?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I like going on my boat, whether I'm going fishing, diving or just cruising. Doesn't matter.

Q. When you dive, what are you diving for just to look at stuff or what --
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Sometimes I'll scuba and just to go to scuba diving and most of the time though when I'm in the water I'm spearfishing.

Q. Spearfishing. What's the catch of the day, as it were?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Generally going for hog fish, snapper, or anything you see that you want to eat (laughter).

Q. Not to labor on money here too much but from your rookie season in '8 did you ever find your attention shift at all from the check you were getting that week to just flat out winning?
Does money still matter because apparently it does?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean absolutely. But the money is not -- no. What drives me is winning, not the money.

Q. Did that drive you as a rookie?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I didn't have any money so, no, it wouldn't have. It was more about the money because when I got on Tour, I got that $25,000 check from Q-School and I think I had zero dollars in my bank account. So, that was like -- I was the happiest guy in the world when I got that $25,000 check from Q-School.

My first week out I finished 10th in Hawaii. That was like hundred-some-thousand. I didn't know what to do (laughter).

Q. How about when you get 25 now?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I'm more pissed because I played bad.

Q. Also looking at the people at the top of the FedExCup, there seems to be a wide array of temperament involved.
Are you really as calm inside as you appear outside when you play and when you see someone you're playing with kind of lose it a little bit, do you think you have an advantage?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think so. Obviously -- well, I don't lose it ever but I get nervous for sure, coming -- but I like it, that feeling of you know coming down the stretch when you got a chance to win like that's why I'm out here, that's why I play the game and that's what I want to feel.

So, obviously, there's different ways to handle it. But, for me, almost makes me focus more and -- but yeah, I mean I just don't get angry because I've seen the shot -- if I hit a bad shot I've already seen it before. It's not like it's something new. I've done it a million times. Why would I be mad about it?

For me, it's still a game and we're out here to put on a show for all the fans and they don't want to see you pitching a fit, that's for sure.

Growing up that was one thing that was not tolerated by my dad was, you know, getting upset and pitching a fit. It's never done.

Q. Do you feel like you've got a guy you see him getting upset, do you think you have an advantage?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I really don't care what they do, to be honest. I'm more focused on what I'm doing, not what they do.

Q. Have you ever been affected by tempers?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Sometimes but it's not -- usually if I am it's because I'm just not focused and I'm not even worried about what I'm doing. So, yeah, I mean some guys it can bother you a little bit but I try -- if I'm focused and I'm just worried about what I'm doing, it doesn't bother me.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: All right. Dustin, thank you so much for your time. Good luck this week.

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