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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 14, 2018

Dustin Johnson

Southampton, New York

Q. Would you classify today as a roaring success or a mild success? How would you grade yourself?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm very pleased with the round. Anything under par on this golf course is very good, especially in the conditions we have today. I felt like, you know, from start to finish, it was very difficult.

There was -- you know, you had to focus on every single shot you hit, putts, everything. You know, it was just difficult all day.

Q. Your brother was saying that he thought your focus was probably the key. You focused very well.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, yeah, I knew before we even started the round today that, you know, today was going to be very tough and, you know, really had to be patient and, you know, stay focused all day, which I felt like I did a really good job today.

Q. How do you feel about what happened at No. 6, where Rich, I guess, accidentally stepped on your ball and found it. What kind of a break was that for you, do you think?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, there was a guy standing there, they watched it bounce in there, and he kind of just stood on the hill and waited for all of us to come up. You would think he would go and at least mark kind of the spot where it was.

But, you know, probably should have never even had to come to that. But, yeah, it was -- obviously, it was nice for him to find my ball. You know, even though I did get to drop it, it was -- you know, I still played the same kind of shot that I would have played if he wouldn't have stepped on it.

Q. Has a TV guy ever found your ball before?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm sure all the time. There's always guys out there, you know, helping us find our balls, especially in rough like this.

Q. And then to follow it up with the shot out of the sand trap at No. 8, what did that do for just your mood and the way you approached the rest of the --
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it's always great when you can hole a bunker shot. I mean, I hit a really good shot. It was going to be good, whether it went in or not. But it's definitely a bonus for it to go in. Probably should have never been there. I mean, I had a wedge.

Q. Is that what you hit there, a wedge?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: 60. I just hit a terrible shot.

Q. Next one was okay.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: That's right.

Q. Just on a day like this, do you feel like where you finished, you kind of distanced yourself from, you know, so many people in the field, and a lot of big names fell by the wayside today?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, the golf course was -- it was hard. I mean, you had to play good golf if you wanted to shoot a good score. You know, I felt like I did everything pretty well today. I drove it well. I, you know, hit a lot of quality iron shots, and then my short game was good.

You know, the greens are difficult. It was difficult to get it close, and then, you know, it was difficult to hole putts. And I felt like I did a good job today.

Q. I haven't heard anybody complain about the setup. Obviously, the weather is what the weather is, and it is the same for everybody else. Maybe a few complaints about a few pin placements. Other than that, what do you feel?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I felt like the USGA did a great job with the setup. I felt like it was fair. You know, it was hard, but it was fair. It wasn't anything tricky or, you know, unreasonable by any means.

Q. Do you feel like this is kind of an extension of the success last week in Memphis, it's just carrying into this week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, obviously, coming off a win, you've got a lot of confidence. I feel like I've been playing really solid all year, just haven't really been getting a lot out of my rounds. I felt like, you know, last year, I did play well and, you know, scored well. That's what I did today. I feel like I scored really well.

Q. We're talking about some wind tomorrow, but it's not going to be like it was today. I know you were able to go out there, and as you alluded, separated yourself from much of the field. The confidence level is very high, I would think.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. Tomorrow is still going to be another difficult day. Every day out here is going to be difficult, and, you know, it's going to take the same kind of focus, and, you know, I'll have to shoot the same kind of quality golf shots if I want to shoot another good score.

Q. How did you think Tiger shot? How do you think he played?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think he played better than his score, for sure. But, you know, again, it's windy, it's tough, and, you know, he obviously got off to a rough start. But I thought he hung in there pretty good.

Q. Did you ask him about the yacht?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I did not.

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