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SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 5, 2018

Dustin Johnson

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

Q. Great day, 5-under par. What happened on No. 6 that got things going? How did things get rolling in the right direction?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, even through the first few holes I was playing pretty well. I just -- on 3 I was right in the middle of the fairway and my second shot, when I hit it the wind kind of just laid down and it went a little long in a bad spot and just really, it was a really tough up-and-down. Made an easy bogey there.

Then same thing on 4. Again, I got a big gust in my shot right from the middle of the fairway and it came up a little bit short when I was actually trying to hit it. I was trying to use the slope 10 yards behind the flag and I came up five yards short. So just a couple bad gusts in the middle of the fairway, so it wasn't -- yeah, I was a little frustrated, but -- and then parring 5, too, was from the fairway wasn't very good. But, yeah, I got going on 6, hit a great drive down there and a great chip up there a couple feet from the hole and then kind of just kept, made a really nice birdie there on 8. Hit two good shots there and birdied 9. So kind of -- I knew I was playing good, so I just -- the biggest thing was just to be patient, because I had plenty of birdie opportunities. I hit a lot of nice shots pretty much all day. I got a little unlucky on the front nine but other than that it was really solid today.

Q. You're pretty good in every category, inside the top-10, putting well, these greens are tricky, just super comfortable with your game. And what is it about these greens that you seem to be comfortable? A lot of other guys are having some issues. Is it just experience?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I feel like I'm rolling it well. A big key with these greens with them being grainy and that is putting a good roll on it. I feel like I'm doing that. Just trusting the lines you got to hit them on. The greens are tricky to read. I had a few putts today that really -- good birdie putts where I thought I had a good read on it and just the ball went opposite of what I thought, it's just going to happen out here. So for me I just got to stay patient and try not to get too frustrated.

Q. How would you describe the second round?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I felt like today was, again, I drove it well, I got off to kind of a rough start, I bogeyed 3 and 4 from the middle of the fairway, I just kind of -- on 3 the wind laid down right when I hit it, I hit it a little long in a bad spot and just didn't get up-and-down. Missed a 10-, 12-footer, which is but I wasn't really going to chip it close from where I hit it.

4, I got a big gust right when I hit and it came up a little bit short and again chipped it up there pretty close, hit a good putt, just didn't go in.

So I kind of got off to a slow start. Then I parred 5, which I had 7-iron in on a par-5 and made par there. So through five holes wasn't -- I felt good, I was hitting some good shots, just didn't score very well. Then kind of got it started there on 6 and made birdie on 6 and then made a really good birdie on 8 and birdied 9. So kind of got me on back in the rhythm and I played a really nice solid back nine.

Q. You're in contention heading into the weekend. This is your 8th start in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Today was your 19th round competitively in the 60s. You've never shot over par here on this golf course. What appeals to you about this golf course?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, it sets up well. It's windy, so you got to, you really got to strike the ball well. I think that's a big factor out here, especially with all this wind. You hit solid shots, you can control it and you can hit some good ones. It's the mis-hits when the wind's blowing this hard that really get -- the wind can really take it way off line. So I feel like I strike the ball very well and I control my distance pretty well. And it's a lot of feel around here. You hardly ever hit full shots, I feel like. So I kind of like it.

Q. We have talked to some players during our coverage about goals for 2018. You said earlier in the week you're not really focused on outcomes or result, you're more focused on the process. Have a better wedge game, have a better bunker game, have a better putting game. If you finish 2018 with fewer wins than you did last year, but improve in those categories, are you satisfied?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, you'll have to talk to me at the end of the year. If I play really solid I've got a lot of chances to win golf tournaments, but out here it's very hard to win, it's very difficult, the guys are really good. But I would like to, if I get about the same amount of wins, if not a couple more, I'll be happy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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