PIF SAUDI INTERNATIONAL POWERED BY SOFTBANK INVESTMENT ADVISERS

February 2, 2022

Dustin Johnson

Royal Greens Golf and Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome back. It's obviously a place and a tournament that has very happy memories for you.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously since the first year I came, I've liked the golf course. I've obviously done pretty well here the last three years, so I look forward to coming over here. It's a tournament I enjoy playing. It's a golf course I enjoy to play, and yeah, it's a place that, like you said, I have a lot of good memories.

Q. I think you've taken a bit of a break recently and you returned to the Farmers just last week. This is an event you've obviously done well in in the past. Is this a great chance for you to fully kick back into gear?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, absolutely. Last week was a good week. I felt like I played really solid. Difficult golf course, difficult conditions. Yeah, I felt like for my first week in a long time, the game held up quite nicely. Going into the last round on Sunday, I was kind of right in the middle of it. Played actually really well on Sunday, just scored really bad. Played better probably Sunday than I did any of the other days, but obviously shot a worse score.

But that's golf. That's how it goes.

Yeah, I'm happy with where the game is at and obviously looking forward to being in a place I'm really comfortable at and had a pretty good record at.

Q. You were out practising yesterday with the new driver in your bag, as well. How was your swing feeling yesterday here?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it was feeling good. Felt like a normal day on the golf course. Hit a lot of nice shot, hit a couple not-so-nice ones but got some good practice in.

Q. I think as part of that practice round yesterday you maybe joined up with two of the Saudi amateurs, Saud and Faisal. You've chatted with them before; it must have been good to catch up and see the progress that they continue to make.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah. You know, they're two young players that have -- I feel like they have a lot of talent, so it's exciting to see them, and hopefully they can have a lot of success.

Q. I just wanted to know, you took a little small break from your playing schedule, and you find yourself fifth in the World Ranking. What does this say about the world of golf right now? I know you would say that you really don't look at the World Rankings and things like that, but what does this say about the way professional golf is right now, that you just take a little foot off the pedal and you find yourself at No. 5?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I feel like the amount of talent in the game of golf right now is incredible. Yeah, if you -- to get to No. 1 and stay at No. 1 is very difficult. You have to play well every single week. It's very tough to stay at the top just because of the level of talent of the guys around you.

There's a lot of really good players, and so yeah, for me, I took a break because I felt like I needed it, and I wasn't real happy with the way I played last year. Yeah, so just wanted to kind of reset and prepare for this year. Hopefully the goal is to come back and play a lot better than I did last year.

Q. Is regaining the No. 1 position a goal of yours?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Absolutely.

Q. As you mentioned, you've won this event a couple of times. What does it do for your season when you do kick off the season so early with a win in terms of confidence?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, definitely helps, especially getting a win early. You're right, it just gives you that much more confidence going forward and for the rest of the year.

Q. The two times that you won the tournament over here it was sanctioned by the European Tour, and it has got a new look about it with the Asian Tour sanctioning this year. I just wanted to ask you, if you were in a place where you did not play a tournament because of COVID and other reasons for 21 months, how would you react? Would that bother you that you have not played for 21 months?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, yeah. You're going to -- for sure. It's hard; no matter how well you prepare at home, it's very difficult to simulate a tournament. Most likely going to be a little rusty. Maybe your game is not rusty, but just thinking and your mental side of it is what takes a little while to get back into the rhythm of and making the right decisions.

Yeah, taking 21 months off is definitely going to be tough, or I feel. It would be for me.

Q. Of course you've won this tournament two times; are you looking to make this the third win? In terms of the strong lineup this year, how is it different for you this year?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, this year is no different than any other year. Absolutely I'm going to try to do everything I can to put myself in a position to have a chance to win come Sunday. Yeah, obviously the field keeps getting better and better every year, so it gets a little harder and harder to win the trophy.

They've done a great job with this event and keep bringing a lot of world-class players in. I think this year is probably the best field they've had. It's a lot of talent, a lot of really good golfers. It's going to be a challenge.

Q. We've seen you of course with the Saudi players, the three Saudi players who are going to participate in this tournament. Any words of advice for the guys Othman, Faisal and Saud?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, they've been here before. I think they played last year, too, so they know what to expect. Obviously they've played quite a lot of tournaments.

I played nine holes with Faisal and Saud. Yeah, obviously they have a lot of talent. They're nice players. I'd love to see them have a lot of success.

Q. Apart from all the noise surrounding this Super League concept that we've been hearing about for months on end, what do you think of the actual concept itself? Forget all the stuff that's going around it.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think it's a really good concept. I think it makes it a little more interesting for the fans and for the players. Yeah, I like the concept.

Q. Would you be tempted to take part?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: We'll see.

Q. Did you have a look around the golf course yesterday? You played nine holes, but I don't know if you played the full 18. What did you think of the golf course now four years down from when you first won it, and how is it looking right now?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it keeps getting better and better each year. I feel like the course is in really good shape, though. There's no problems.

Q. Are there any changes that you've noticed anywhere?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I've only played the back side, but I haven't noticed any changes.

Q. On the Super League thing, the Daily Telegraph in London is reporting this morning that Ian Poulter has been offered £22 million to jump, if you like. Have you had a similar offer or is that something that you're keeping under your hat?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I can't speak for Ian. Yeah, I'm sure they're -- well, yeah, obviously whether they have or haven't, I'm not allowed to disclose. You'd have to ask Ian on that one.

Q. But you haven't had a similar offer?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, not similar. (Laughter.) It's just not similar.

THE MODERATOR: Dustin, thank you for your time. Much appreciated.