TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 5, 2020

Dustin Johnson

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Seemed like you really struggled with your ball-striking. Was there any reason for that on the driving range in warmup this morning?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I wouldn't really say I struggled with my ball-striking, more driving it in the fairway. So it's hard to strike it well if you're not in the fairway here. The few shots that I did hit off the fairway I felt like I hit them pretty good.

There was very few, though. Even, I don't know, 15 I hit a really good 4-iron. The wind was blowing in out of the left, and while my ball was in the air the wind started blowing in out of the right and blew it into the bunker, which is -- I hit a good putt and made an easy 4.

It was just one of those days where I shot even, but I had five or six putts that horseshoed on me. With not playing that great -- it wasn't that I didn't play great, I just didn't hit it very good off the tee.

Q. I'm being critical because you are world No. 1, you made the game look so easy the last couple weeks, but yeah, you did drive it poorly the past couple days. You're leading in driving distance but last in driving accuracy. Is that just kind of the nature of this golf course?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yes, it is. The fairways are narrow. It's hard to hit them. My ball is not going where I'm looking right now with the driver. Everything else feels really good. I'm going to go work a little bit on the range here and I'll figure it out and drive it a little better over the weekend.

Q. All that aside, you're still leading the golf tournament. You're in a great position. How does that feel to you after everything is said and done?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: It feels good, especially since I feel like I've really grinded the first two rounds. Even with that being said, I've had a lot of putts from inside 10 feet that I've hit really good putts that didn't go in.

With all that being said, yeah, I feel good about where I'm at. I still feel confident in the game. Just need to -- I'm going to go work on it, hit the driver a little straighter tomorrow.

Q. You only hit two fairways today. What do you take from a round like you had today where you really struggled to keep it in the short grass?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I need to drive it a little better over the weekend if I want to win this golf tournament. Obviously I'm still in a good position, but I've got to hit it in the fairway over the next two days if I want a chance to win this. I feel like everything else is really good. I feel like I'm swinging my irons well. I'm rolling it really well.

If I can get in the fairway a few more times over the next few days, then I think I'll be all right.

Q. A couple holes stand out, that 31-footer you made at 4 to make a par on that hole, and then the chip-in at 8 you were short of the green in two, two big shots to help you on this run today.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, those were, but then if you look at my back side, I had three really bad lip-outs from pretty close range. Hit really good putts, just didn't go in. Yeah, the course played tricky today. It was hard to get a beat on the wind. I felt like we played every single hole into the wind except for the last one. It was the only hole that played downwind all day.

It was tough to get a bead on the wind. It wasn't blowing that hard, but still hard enough to where you've got to be really precise out here, and it made it a little tricky.

Q. You played a solid round. What words would you use to describe today's round?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was tough. It was up and down. I just didn't drive it straight enough. Everything else feels good. I felt like I managed my game pretty well. Obviously I couldn't really attack the golf course being out of the rough and in the bunkers. I was everywhere today. Obviously all in all I managed it pretty well.

To shoot even around here not hitting my tee ball very good is a nice score, but I need to drive it better over the weekend.

Q. You've hit only seven fairways in two rounds; what is the emotion after two rounds, the frustration missing fairways or the satisfaction that the rest of the game is so complete that other elements can pick it up when you're not hitting fairways?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously frustrated with my tee balls. It's not just the driver, it's everything off the tee for some reason. But it's one of those things I'm going to go work on on the range right now and see if I can drive it a little better over the next two days.

If I want to win this golf tournament, I've got to hit a lot more fairways.

Q. Have you figured out what the issue is, or is it just a matter of executing better?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, just poor execution. Obviously these fairways are narrow. I'm trying to guide it down the fairway instead of swinging it a little bit. I don't know, we'll go figure it out right now.