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THE 147TH OPENJuly 17, 2018Dustin JohnsonAngus, Scotland, United Kingdom STUART MOFFATT: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm delighted to say I'm joined by the world No. 1, Dustin Johnson. Dustin, you've been widely tapped as the one to win The Open this week. Does that bring added pressure, or are you feeling fairly relaxed about your week at Carnoustie? DUSTIN JOHNSON: You know, it's no different than every week that I play. It's going to be tough to win. I'm going to have to play really well. I feel the game is in really good form this week. I've had four weeks off, so I've had a lot of rest. I feel good about the game. I've had a lot of practise. I got here Saturday and played the course quite a few times. I think the course is in good shape. I think it's going to be a good test. Kind of like any Open, it all depends on the wind, how the scores are going to be. Q. What's your philosophy on what clubs to hit off the tee so far? There seems to be thoughts on how fast they're running but also taking drivers and just taking everything out of play because there's not much rough. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, on the holes where -- if I can hit driver and take the bunkers out of play, absolutely going to do that. You know, this week, the bunkers, if you hit it in, it's a penalty shot. You're going to have to -- you know, you can advance it forward sometimes a little bit, but I haven't seen one yet that I've hit in that I could actually hit it on the green out of the bunker. So navigating the bunkers is definitely the biggest key this week because, like you said, the rough is not very penal. So a lot of times, yeah, I'm going to hit driver. If I can carry all the bunkers and keep it out of them, I'm going to hit a driver. But I hit a lot of different clubs off the tees, even playing -- if the wind plays this direction, you know, I hit probably half and half drivers to irons. Q. This is kind of a funny question, but what's the shortest iron you've hit off the tee on a par 4? DUSTIN JOHNSON: 7 on No. 3. Q. Where did it go? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Just short of the bunkers. It was good. If I'm hitting a 7 iron, it had better go in a good place. Q. Dustin, when you look over the last couple years and how well you've played, is there any sense of frustration that you don't have more majors to show for how well you've done? Is it almost time to get kicking on that? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I would always like to win more, but like you said, I have played very well over the last few years. I've given myself a lot of chances. But as we all know, it's very hard to win in a major. You've got to play four really good rounds, and everything in your game has to be working. Just a month ago at the U.S. Open, I played well enough to win. I didn't putt well enough on the weekend to win. You know, I didn't feel like I was hitting bad putts, but I just wasn't making anything. You know, that's golf. Q. You've got such a good friendship with Brooks as well. When he gets that second major, do you two kind of bounce off each other, push each other along, do you think? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean, we train a lot together, and so we push each other in the gym and play a lot of golf together. So, yeah, we definitely push each other to get better and to do the right things. Q. Are you competitive in the gym? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, we're competitive in everything we do. Q. Dustin, if conditions remain the same, what is your preference, first of all, of what conditions you would prefer for the weekend? Because the way that the course is set up at the moment, it's going to be level, it's going to be a pretty level playing field, is it not? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't understand. Q. Would you like tougher conditions to benefit yourself? Because the way the course is set up, because now the ball is running so far, it's firm, it's fast. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, it's still going to -- it all depends on the wind. If it blows, it's going to be tough. You know, and with the ball running, it runs right into the bunkers. So you're still going to have to hit good shots, and you're still going to have to play well. I mean, the golf course is tough. The par 3s are tough. It's not -- even with the ball running so far, the golf course is not playing easy. With the rough being down, it helps because you can hit it in the rough and still knock it on the green. But also with that being said, it's harder to hit it in the fairway. So you can't really control the spin, which makes it more difficult. Q. Do you have a number in mind, what might be required this week? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I do not. I'm going to try to shoot as low as I can, though. But, no, I don't really have -- I don't really ever put a number in like, okay, this is what I need to shoot because you just never know. Q. Dustin, the Americans have won the last five majors, all won by American players. How much of that is down to pure golfing, and how much of that is a mentality thing, like just a winning mentality? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have no idea. I mean, just -- you know, obviously, they played well in those last five majors. But then again, you look at this week, and pretty much, there's quite a few guys that have a really good chance to win this weekend. It's whoever plays the best for four rounds. Q. What do you do off 1? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I like driver off of 1. Q. Have you done it in practise rounds so far? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. Q. Where does it go? A long way? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. It actually stays short of the bunkers up on the right. It's been into the wind every day. So -- but, yeah, 80, 90 yards in. Q. And secondly, from a broad perspective, what is your first gut instinct answer, reaction when someone says, "How's your year gone?" Do you think strictly positive, or do you think negative? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm kind of in the middle. I feel like it's gone pretty well. I feel like I've played really well. I've played consistently well. I just -- I mean, to me, the only part of my game where I feel like I'm struggling a little bit is with the putter, but I don't feel like I'm struggling putting. I feel like I'm putting it well and rolling it good. I just haven't really made a lot of putts. There's been quite a few tournaments where, if I just putt pretty well on the weekend, then, you know, I win. But that's the name of the game. You've got to get it in the hole. Q. I'm not sure "pressing" is the word, but is wanting almost too bad to make it at the point where you get maybe too technical or you overthink it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn't do it. So no, I don't think I'm overthinking it. You know, it's just part of the game. I feel like I'm -- like I said, I feel like I'm putting well, and there's times where I putt very well, and there's times where I still feel like I'm putting well, it's just not going in the hole. It's just burning the edges. Q. You make the game look easy to a lot of people. Have you ever been guilty, or have you ever had a time where you've overanalyzed too much? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm sure. I don't -- Q. Maybe I'm thinking too much. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, you are. I don't like it (laughter). Q. I'm sure you put the work into it. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I do. But that's why I do put the work in so when I'm out playing, I don't have to think about it. I just play golf, have a good time. Q. Dustin, do you enjoy hitting a 7 iron on a par 4, or does it frustrate you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: If that's the club that I need to hit to play the hole the best way, then, no, it doesn't bother me at all. Q. Some people would argue that it's not how golf should be. Others would argue that it's exactly how golf should be. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, the ball -- for example, No. 3 is a short hole. It's got a burn down the left side, and it cuts in front of the green. You know, there's bunkers in the fairway that if you hit it in, you can't knock it on the green out of them. So for me, it's -- and obviously, that's downwind. If it turns into the wind, then you're probably hitting a 4 iron or a 3 iron. So just the way the wind's been blowing the last couple days, yeah, you can hit shorter clubs and how firm the fairway is. Q. Dustin, obviously, you don't want to be in the bunkers here and you want to be in the fairway, but is there less of a premium on hitting fairways because the rough is playable, per se? I mean, do you really worry about it to an extent that you might otherwise? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, you always want to hit it in the fairway for sure, but [ that being said, with it so firm and fast, and, obviously, the reason it's firm and fast like it is is because it's been really dry and haven't had a lot of rain, you know, the rough isn't as thick. So, yeah, you don't necessarily have to be in the fairway to be able to play a good shot into the green. But with it being so fast too, it makes it very hard to hit the fairways, with all the mounds and the way these fairways are shaped, the ball always tends to want to roll just off of it. But if they were slower, then it would be a lot easier to hit the fairways. Q. Dustin, the finish at Carnoustie is famous. A lot of people regard it as the toughest challenge in championship golf. Do you agree with that assessment? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, the finish here is very difficult. 15, 16, 17, 18 are all really good holes, and it really doesn't matter which direction the wind's blowing. You know, they're going to be difficult holes. Obviously with it blowing the way it is right now, it plays a little bit easier on 15, 16, and 18, but 17 is still a very good hole when it's into the wind. It's a good hole downwind too, but it would probably be a little more difficult if the wind switched and blew the other way, absolutely. Q. Dustin, when you were growing up, who were some of your favourite athletes outside of golf and why? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Growing up, now, or -- Q. Growing up. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I was always just a fan of all sports and all professional athletes. I always had a lot of respect for the guys who were the best at their sport. But, you know, watching Michael Jordan play, and obviously Wayne in hockey. I was a big fan of the Braves, so all the guys that played on the Braves team -- Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux, Chipper Jones, all those guys that were very good. So I was always a fan. Q. How about now? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's still kind of the same. Now for -- I know a lot of the guys, so most of the guys that I know, I definitely pull for. I have a lot of respect for them. Q. A couple things: I know you weren't here in '07, but do you ever watch highlights of old Open courses just to get a sense of what happened here? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've definitely seen some. I haven't gone back and like watched the coverage or anything. But I've definitely seen it when it's been on TV. Q. The one here in '99, if you consider what happened to you at Chambers and Pebble, do you ever watch van de Velde and think, man, I got off easy? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean, that was a pretty rough one, but so were all of mine. I can feel him a little bit. But, yeah, either way you look at it, we both lost. So it really doesn't matter. Q. When you played Saturday for the first time, what did you do on 18? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I hit driver. I mean, it was more for fun, but, yeah, I just wanted to see where it would go and hit it in the burn just short of the green. That was on Saturday. But I've played here at Dunhill a couple times, so I've seen the golf course. Q. But not this golf course, obviously? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. It's never this fast during the Dunhill. Q. What did you do on Saturday? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I hit driver again and hit it just short. So a couple yards short. I obviously hit some irons, and dependent on the wind, I'll probably hit anywhere from -- I don't know, I've hit 3 wood, 3 iron, and 4 iron off the tee. I like all of them. Hit 3 wood, sand wedge. Q. I was curious about something, you didn't speak to Brooks very much during your final round at Shinnecock. When did you guys talk to each other, work out again together, play together after the U.S. Open? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, I talked to him when we were done for a little bit. And then I think I talked to him on Monday. Q. The next day? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. Well, he had stuff -- well, he was playing -- he played Hartford right after the U.S. Open. So he was out of town. But, yeah, I think I spoke to him on Monday or Tuesday for sure. Q. What was that conversation, just "good job" again? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean, we're still buddies. It's not -- Q. I didn't think otherwise. I was just curious what the conversation might have been. DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I was happy for him. If it wasn't going to be me, I was glad he won. Obviously, I would have liked to have won. STUART MOFFATT: And just before we finish, we have a presentation to Dustin from the Official World Golf Rankings. Ian Barker is going to present Dustin from 2017 for the most number of weeks at No. 1. Can you just come up and present to Dustin. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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