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MASTERS TOURNAMENTApril 3, 2018Dustin JohnsonAugusta, Georgia THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We're very glad to have the No. 1 player in the world, Dustin Johnson, in the interview room today. Dustin, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule today. There was a great deal of anticipation surrounding your heading into last year's Masters, now a year later you're back, strong and healthy. How motivated are you to make up for what you missed in 2017? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, coming into last year obviously I was playing very well and it was very disappointing not to be able to play, but it was a year ago, so a lot of things have happened since then. And this year's completely different year, and really looking forward to coming into this year, especially missing last year. I'm always excited to come back here and play. I feel like the game's in really good shape and got a lot of confidence coming into here this week. THE MODERATOR: I was going to say, you are the top‑ranked player in the world and a Major Championship winner. How does that help your confidence heading into this week? And tell us a maybe a little bit about your preparation before we open it up to a few questions. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I know what it takes, first and foremost. I know what it takes to get it done in a Major, and it's never easy. I've been in this situation quite a few times where I've had a chance to win, and no matter what you do or how you prepare, it's not easy to win. But I know what it takes. I've been there, like I said, a few times. And this week's going to be no different. My preparation's been very good, though, I think leading into this week. I came up here last Tuesday, Wednesday and got a couple good practice rounds in and then came back up Sunday and started my prep again. THE MODERATOR: We open it up to a few questions. Q. Wondering how growing up in Columbia really shaped your love for this tournament. Did you go here as a kid? Did you watch it on TV? What was kind of the‑‑ when did you know that you loved this tournament? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, yeah, I mean, definitely growing up so close to here is‑‑ as a kid on the putting green, when you're putting against your friends or even if you're out there by yourself, it's always a putt to win the Masters. Especially just being so close. I came here as a kid and then watching it on TV as a kid, and then in college we got to come out here and walk around a few times. After playing in the Augusta State Tournament they gave us tickets. So it's always been special to me, and it will be forever. Q. I know you're not a person who ever looks backwards, but was there any part of you when you came here for the week that thought back to what happened last year? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, yeah, because I get asked it every day out here on the range or walking down the fairway. So I'm reminded all the time. So, yeah, I definitely was thinking about it. It is what it is. It was kind of a just a freak thing and it happened, there's nothing I can do about it except I'm here this year, hopefully I can tee it up on Thursday, and definitely be looking forward to that. Q. What are you going to do Wednesday? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm going to take it really easy. Q. Last two times you played here you made a significant jump in where you finished. Did that just coincide with you started playing better, or do you think you figured something out about this place in that time that makes you better prepared to contend here? DUSTIN JOHNSON: A little bit of both. The more you play here, the kind of the more comfortable you get around this golf course you know what tee shots and where to hit it and the flags and kind of how to attack the golf course. So that plays a part in it. Then I think just me as a golfer getting better and kind of just all throughout the whole game, just having more confidence, hitting it better, driving it better, doing everything a little bit better always helps around here. Q. Do you practice any particular part of your game in anticipation for the unique challenges here? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, probably spend a little bit more time chipping and putting and stuff from off the greens around here than probably‑‑ than most weeks at normal tournaments. That's probably about it. As far as throughout my bag with shots, I don't really‑‑ don't change anything or try to do anything different because I'm at Augusta. Just spend a lot more time around the greens chipping and putting. Q. Tiger being here and being considered a contender give you personally any more juice just because of what he's meant to the game? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I don't think I need any for this week, but, yeah, it's good for the game of golf, absolutely. As far as giving me more juice, no, I don't think‑‑ no, it doesn't do that. But it's good for the game of golf, for sure. Q. You mentioned coming here and teenager and watching it on TV and so forth. Just curious what your earliest memory of the Masters is. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well my memory is not great, so... (Laughter.) Tiger definitely always stands out just because growing up, I mean, he kind of‑‑ when I was growing up and younger, he was kind of obviously the best player in the world. And so just all of his stuff at Augusta, I just remember watching him a bunch here. Q. How about the first time you came here, maybe what your initial impression or thought was? DUSTIN JOHNSON: The first time I ever walked it was‑‑ it's a lot more hilly than it looks on TV for sure. There's a lot more undulation in the fairways, on the greens, than it looks like when you watch it on TV. Q. Going off of Tiger Woods playing here, I'm wondering how you kind of separate the emotions there, because we all kind of grew up watching Tiger dominate, and now you're playing beside him and you've been doing it for a little while, but do you still get kind of antsy with him on the course or is it still really cool to see him, or has that kind of worn off? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, when I was‑‑ obviously, when I first came out, a little bit different than it is now. Obviously I've become a lot better player and he's kind of been off a little bit the last few years. But, yeah, I mean, he still brings that‑‑ I don't know what you want to call it. But, yeah, he still brings that to the game, and he's got a little bit of an intimidation factor still. But it is Tiger Woods. He's probably one of the best players to ever play the game. So you would have to think he's going to figure out a way to get it back. He has. He's played pretty well this year so far and‑‑ but I know Tiger well, and I played a lot of golf with him and‑‑ but I can't really worry about what Tiger's doing. I got enough to worry about with myself. Q. Couple things. If you can rate this on a scale of one to ten what your confidence level was last year compared with this year, maybe last year Tuesday compared with this year Tuesday. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, last year I was about as confident as I've ever been, so it was probably a 10. This year it's probably a nine and a half. Q. That high? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's good. Starting to swing it a lot better. Feeling a lot better on the golf course, for sure. Q. Were you not swinging it‑‑ when you left Kapalua, did your swing take a dip to where you are now? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I feel like it's gotten better since then for sure. Q. The other thing is I wanted to ask you in your team rooms at either Hazeltine or Liberty National last year if Phil and Tiger ever get going, who has got the sharper needle between them? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Tiger's always going to win that one. Q. What do you mean? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, he's got an‑‑ I think he's got a few more of everything, so he gets him. Q. It's the last word type thing? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. Q. Overall, just the Tournament this year, do you feel like it's‑‑ like we have been talking a lot about Tiger and Phil, right, and that kind of in the past where maybe they were the two, No. 1 and No. 2. Does it feel more wide open? If you even took yourself out of the equation as one of the contenders, could you pick a favorite? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, it's tough to pick a favorite. I mean, if you look at through the field, there's a lot of guys that are playing well. So it's tough to know who is going to play probably the best this week. I think come Sunday it's going to be a pretty tight race between four or five guys like it is every year. Q. On the 13th, would you be in favor of them, if they choose to do so, stretch that tee back further? And kind of a side note to that, when you went to the fade off the tee, did that change the way you played the hole? Or assuming you hit a draw, did that make it either easier or harder for you? Is that too many questions? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Moving the tee back, I don't think, is not going to affect it too much. I mean, obviously it will just kind of help where you have ‑‑ it makes ‑‑ it will make you hit a driver kind of, but you'll still hit it in kind of some of the same areas if you hit a 3‑wood off the tee. Now when I hit a draw, I feel like the tee shot was actually even harder because it seemed like I would always turn it right into that tree. Now I hit a fade and it'sI hit it more in the right side of the right trees, but you got a shot from the right trees, you don't from the left. Q. What's your line? Do you ever hit driver off there? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I hit driver every day. Q. What's your line? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Just depends on where the tee is on that box. If it's on the back of the box, I got to kind of go right over the small tree on the left. Q. You've been No. 1 in the world for a little while now. Has that‑‑ have you gotten used to that at all? Do you even think about it? Does it ever resonate kind of with you when you're out on the course or even off the course that you're on the whole entire planet you're the best golfer in the world? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Try not to think about it too much. Just especially if I'm on the golf course, because it doesn't really matter. But sometimes I'll sit and think about it. It's pretty big accomplishment and definitely proud of myself for making it to No. 1, but most importantly I want to stay here. To do that I got to keep pushing myself and keep working hard. Q. How much of an advantage is your length here as compared with other courses or Major Championship venues? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, length's an advantage on any golf course. But you still got to hit it straight. So if you hit it far and you're in the trees, it doesn't really matter. But, yeah, driving it well and straight here, it's going to be an advantage, just like it is pretty much everywhere you play. Q. Are there places where you feel you really have to throttle back your distance? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, not really, I don't feel like. Maybe next week at Harbour Town I might have to a little bit, but it's just what the course calls for. I mean, it's not‑‑ doesn't really make me ‑‑ it kind of makes you hit shots to a certain distance. It's just a different kind of golf course where here you can kind of hit whatever you want off the tee or hit it as far as you want to. You still got to hit it straight though. Q. How long did it take you last year before your back really felt well, and can you kind of commiserate with Tiger who had to wait for two years for his back to feel well? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, it's something that I didn't have anything wrong with it, other than it was just badly bruised, but it was kind of stiff for a long time. It probably took, I don't know, I would say six months before it like really felt like where I was swinging and I really didn't feel anything. Q. And you have some empathy for Tiger and what he's had to go through with his back? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, yeah, anytime someone's injured or going through stuff like that, you feel for them. It's just part of playing sports and life. Q. If you came to Sunday and tied for the lead going to the first tee, would it matter if you shook hands with Tiger Woods or anyone else? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I would like to shake hands with Tiger on Sunday on the first tee, if we were both leading. I think that would be a lot of fun. Q. The other thing I was going to ask you was, I can't imagine you watch a ton of golf on TV, but with Justin having a chance to go to No. 1, if he would have won his match Sunday morning, were you paying attention? Did you care? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. I mean, he would have deserved it. Obviously I lost all three of my matches, so if he would have made it on there and got to No. 1, then there's nothing I can do about that except play a little better. Q. When did you find out he lost? DUSTIN JOHNSON: When? Oh, I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. THE MODERATOR: If there's no further questions, I want to thank you very much, Dustin. Wish you a lot of luck this week and appreciate you coming by. Thank you. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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