THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 21, 2020

Dustin Johnson

TPC Boston

Quick Quotes

Q. You were 11 there are through your first 11. What was going so well in your game early on?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, everything was going well today. I was striking it really well, just giving myself really good looks and obviously I was rolling the putter nicely. Any time you're that many under through 11 holes you're putting well. I made some nice putts but also I hit some really good shots.

Q. You were 115 in strokes-gained putting yesterday and now you're leading the field in putting. What did you improve yesterday to today?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I went and worked on it for a while yesterday afternoon when I was done. I just wasn't seeing the lines that good yesterday. I felt like I had a lot of tricky reads and hit it really well. I gave myself a lot of really good looks and I missed a lot of short ones and today I hit it about the same as I did yesterday. I just rolled in a few more putts.

Q. We had one 59 this morning and you were 11-under through 11, what were you thinking in the closing holes?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Obviously you start thinking about it but I was trying to play one shot at a time. I was hitting it good. I knew if I could get on the greens and give myself some good looks, I could definitely have a chance.

Obviously 18, if I had to do over again, I would have probably hit 3-wood but it is what it is. I was trying to get a short iron in my hand. Unfortunately if it had been flat in the rough, I could have knocked it on, but ball was below my feet, had a tough shot but gave myself chances on 17 and 18.

Q. Are you walking off disappointed that it's not less than 60?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Any time you shoot a number like that, you're never going to be disappointed. I definitely feel like the game is in good form and need to come out tomorrow and do the same thing.

Q. You shot a career-best rounding beating your 61 at Travelers and you're leading the tournament. What was going right besides everything today?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I did everything well. I cold my distance very well and left myself in really good spots to make putts and obviously I rolled the putter really nicely today.

Q. Seems to me a few times you didn't hit the fairway, you made smart decisions with your second shot. For example, 15, you had a decent lie?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: The grass was laying a little funky and obviously the angle I was, I was going over the bunker, so I just hit it out to the left a little bit. The grass turned a little bet bit and got further left than I wanted. Got on the green and made a nice two-putt there..

I know I was 11 through 11. Any time you're that low, you're definitely thinking about it but I was trying not to. I was trying to birdie every hole. Hit the shot I wanted to off the tee and the shots off the green, give myself looks. The one on 17 was a pretty good putt that just caught the right edge and obviously 18, I've got to hit the fairway there. If I hit the fairway there, it's a pretty easy 4, but I didn't, so shot 60. That's okay, though. I'm pretty happy with. It pretty happy with my position leading into the weekend.

Q. You had the entire golfing world on pins and needles the last seven holes, what was it like, astonishing start, 11-under through 11?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously got off to a great start, even through the five or six holes, just playing really good and made some nice putts and then obviously when I make the turn birdieing 10 and 11, you're definitely thinking about shooting 59 but I tried not to. I tried to just keep playing one shot at a time and I knew I was swinging well, so I just tried to keep giving myself looks. I had some looks coming down the stretch, but obviously couldn't get one to go. But still happy with the way I played and obviously I'm in a good position heading into the weekend.

Q. Looked like you were doing something different with your pre-shot routine on your putter, looked like you were taking your left arm and pushing your right shoulder back, is that to square up your shoulders?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I do the drill on the practice green where I put with my right arm, just my right hand only and it just gets me kind of set where I want to be set and kind of go from there.

Q. Two shots you might want to take back are the tee shot on 16, that was a difficult tee shot with the wind up and certainly the tee shot on 18?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: 18, I should have hit 3-wood off the tee there because I could have had 3-wood and 6-iron on the green. Yeah, if I had to do over again, I'd hit a 3-wood there because I'm going to hit the fairway. Driver, I was just trying to chip it up there and kind of just pushed it a little bit to the right. Even then, though, if it would have been down in the flat, I would have been fine. There's not really any rough there. It is what it is. Didn't happen, so maybe I'll go out tomorrow and try to shoot 59.

Q. Career low for you. Congratulations or condolences?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Either one, I don't really care. It's a good score. I'm happy with it. I played really well yesterday. I just didn't make any putts. Today I played the same. I just rolled in some putts. So it was definitely nice to see the ball going in the hole.

Q. I'm sure you've been asked all this before, but when you're 6-under through four, 9-under through eight, what goes through your mind?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I was just keep trying to make birdies. I'm swinging good. As long as I can get in the fairway, I knew I could attack the golf course. The greens are still receptive. They started to bounce a little more this afternoon but still receptive enough to be aggressive with your shots if you're coming out of the fairway.

Q. Were you thinking 59 or lower, and if not, why not?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I was trying to birdie every hole, so you know, just on the back nine, just didn't get in the fairway enough to attack all the flags. When I was in the fairway, I hit nice shots, though, and I gave myself some good looks.

Q. 13 and 17?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: 15, I think.

Q. 15 was in the rough, right?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Whatever, I don't know. I get confused on the holes.

Q. Why not hit 3-wood? At what point --

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I just didn't really think about it honestly. Yeah, I kind of like hitting that little chippy low cut and I just pushed it a hair.

Q. You said you're basically trying to birdie every hole, you get down to 1, you surely know it's a birdie for a 59?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Absolutely.

Q. Are you approaching that effort at birdie any differently than just going through the back nine?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, no matter what score I'm at, going into 18 here on, it's downwind today I'm always trying to make a birdie.

Q. It's your best ever but do you get a sense everyone feels bad for you?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. I wanted to shoot 59. I've never done it. That would have been nice.

Q. Ever?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't think so. Not that I remember and I think I'd remember that.

Q. On your putting there, was a couple times it looked like there was a movement you were playing.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's just a drill I do on the putting green. I don't know, I did it today. It worked out there. It just get my right arm set where I want it to be. Just so I can get the feel. I do it before I take my practice strokes and just so I get it set well and then go from there.

Q. Is that a product of yesterday, frustration not rolling it?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: A little bit. I worked on it yesterday afternoon and more this morning. I felt good over the putter. Felt like I'm rolling it nicely. Hitting it down the line.

Q. What will you shoot tomorrow?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have no idea but going to shoot as low as I can.

Q. Is it nerve-wracking to be that deep under par?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it's not nerve-wracking. Obviously trying to shoot 59, you can definitely feel it. I knew I was leading, also. Coming down the stretch, you maybe put a little more pressure on yourself because you want to make those birdies or make those putts, but I made some nice par putts to keep myself in the game. So yeah, it is what it is. I'm in a good spot and I'll come out tomorrow and try to shoot another low one. Hit it in the fairway, I'm swinging my irons really well. So I hit a lot of shots really close to the hole. Made a couple -- made a long putt on 2. That was a long one maybe 30-footer, 40 feet. That was obviously a bonus, but the rest of them were, you know, inside of ten feet, maybe one 15-footer maybe. So I was hitting it where I wanted to and leaving myself with good putts.

Q. You missed the fairway at 4, though.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, because I was on the green.

Q. What did you hit?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Driver. I hit a little chip driver up there to about four feet. It was nice.

Q. When did you see that Scottie had shot 59?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Early in my round.