U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2021

June 16, 2021

Dustin Johnson

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to be joined by World No. 1 and 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson. Talk about your preparations so far this week.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's good. I played last week and had a few weeks off. I felt like last week went pretty well. Then obviously I've seen a lot of good things this week. I feel like the game's starting to come back into good form. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Obviously, this week's a really tough challenge. I feel like the golf course, it's long, it's hard, rough, steep. So it's going to be all we want as golfers for sure.

Q. How do you feel your game fits this course specifically?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think it fits it well, especially this week driving. If I can drive it well, I feel like I'm going to have a really good week. Fairways are pretty narrow. The course is long, like I was saying, and if I can hit the driver good, yeah, I like my chances.

Q. I'm interested in the drones and your experience with the drones. What's that like? Is it a distraction at all? Have you ever come close to hitting one?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Honestly, I don't really notice them. I mean, you hear them sometimes, you might look at them, but obviously the guys know what they're doing. So they stay out of your way.

Q. Do you have one?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have a couple, yeah.

Q. What do you do with them?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: They sit in the box. I've flown a few of them, and they crash. Yeah, I need -- I tried flying them at the house where there's a lot of trees, and there's not a whole lot of room to land them and take off. So I need to go and practice in an open field.

Q. After the Open?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, when I have time, but I don't have a whole lot of time. They'll probably just stay in the box where they are.

Q. Does it enhance the coverage, do you think, from that angle?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think they get great coverage with it. I think it's a neat piece of technology that they use, and I don't care one way or the other.

Q. When you look back at most recent Opens, does this rough compare with anything? Does it remind you of anything? Oakmont, Marion, whatever the case may be?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it seems like a typical U.S. Open. I played here in '08, and it seems like it's very similar, from what I remember. Maybe a little deeper around the greens. It's pretty thick and healthy around the greens for sure. But like off the fairways and up to the greens, it seems like it's real similar. Just a little more around the greens.

Q. On that note -- and kind of work with me on this one -- is a worse miss off the tee or to the green in terms of the rough?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Depending on the hole --

Q. Can you survive out of the rough and the fairway more than you could around the greens, I guess is what I'm getting at?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Like I said, depending on the hole, there's places where you can miss, but a lot of times when you're in the rough, especially if it's a long hole, I don't see you getting it to the green, or if you get lucky and get a good lie, obviously you can get it up around the green or on the green, but for the most part, what I've seen is a lot of just chip it down the fairway.

Q. Is there a couple holes out here that you can point to as key? I know it's a U.S. Open and all 18 holes are a challenge, but is there a couple holes that maybe you look to as places that you know you need to get through there with a par and/or maybe a par-5 that you need to birdie on?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, always at U.S. Opens, the holes you've got to take advantage of are the par-5s. Obviously a lot of par-4s are quite long and difficult, like 12, 6, a few of those holes, 4. If you can make pars on those holes, you're going to be doing well.

THE MODERATOR: We're going to have a special presentation from Mike Davis.

MIKE DAVIS: Folks, since 1997 the Official World Golf Rankings have given out an award to the player who's had the most calendar weeks at No. 1, and this award is named after Mr. Mark McCormack, who really had the vision and provided the support to start the Official World Golf Rankings.

Dustin, this year we're very proud to present you your third Mark McCormack trophy. There were a record five players who made it to No. 1 in 2020, and you were No. 1 for 19 weeks. So you are the 2020 recipient, and we're very excited about it. So congratulations.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Thank you.