LIV GOLF TULSA

May 14, 2023

Dustin Johnson

Louis Oosthuizen

Branden Grace

Dean Burmester

Charl Schwartzel

Cedar Ridge Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome our champions. We have our individual champion Dustin Johnson, the captain of 4 Aces GC. Congratulations. And we have the team champions, we have Stinger GC, Dean Burmester, Charl Schwartzel, Captain Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace.

DJ, it was a battle on the last hole. You had triple bogey earlier in the day. You were able to come back and take it home. What was going through your mind all day long?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, not a whole lot until I made 7 on 10, and then things obviously got a little more interesting.

But I was able to battle back and made a nice birdie on the next hole on 11, hit some really nice shots on 12 and 13, just so did Grace. We all missed really short putts on 12 and 13.

But yeah, just played solid. Obviously made a really nice putt on 18 in regulation and then another good one in the playoff.

THE MODERATOR: How does this compare to your win in Boston?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, all wins are good. It would be the same. I want to win as much as possible.

But obviously winning in a playoff, too, for the second time, next time I'd like to win without going into a playoff would be a lot less stressful.

THE MODERATOR: You're obviously in great form going into the PGA Championship next week. Do you feel ready to go?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, the game is in really good shape. I feel like I'm doing everything really well right now, so yeah, I'm really looking forward to next week, obviously get up there tonight and get out and get a little practice in tomorrow.

Q. Stingers, it's been almost a year since I've had you guys up here. It's really awesome to see you back. Tell us a little bit about your day. Branden, you had an amazing day out there, playoff happened, but you guys all battled it out --

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Finally got him, though.

Q. It was back and forth between the Stingers and the Aces all day and you guys were able to eke it out. Start with you, Louis.

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Yeah, I was just the scoreboard watcher today. I saw my team had it all under control. But yeah, it was interesting to see. Dean made like a 12-footer on 16 and then birdie. Branden birdied 17. We were driving down, we saw DJ miss the short putt on 17, and then obviously him birdieing 18.

Look, it was a little stressful because I had to figure out who's the two guys that are going to play in the playoff because if Branden is in this playoff then the two of us need to go play the other playoff. Luckily it didn't get to that, and just proud of these guys how they played the whole week. It's nice to get a second win as a team.

Q. Branden, tell us about your day. Was that bittersweet for you?

BRANDEN GRACE: No, not really. Played really well. When you get to put yourself in that situation, you're doing something right. Played really good. Made putts when I needed to, especially on 17. Had a good two-putt on 18.

I thought I made my putt on the first playoff hole. But it was going to be one of those days where you had to dig deep, play well. At the end it was not bittersweet, but I know I put in a lot of hard work and it's paid off, and the team really wanted this one.

We've been fourth a few times and kind of got over the line to get to the top 3 a couple of weeks back, and this is a big one for us, and now we can push forward.

Q. Charl, how does it feel to be back up here from London last year?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It's great. The guys played so well. Myself, I've been playing good but just not making any putts. After the rain delay I went out and I went 5-under in six holes and made some putts. It felt great. Helped the team out. Dean and Branden has been playing some fantastic golf, and it was nice to contribute. We've been so close so many times this year, been really consistent, and it's just nice to finally get a win.

Q. Dean, you've been playing awesome golf since you got to LIV Golf. Do you think this team element has really contributed to that?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, I think so. Being South African, we grow up in team sport. Team sport is massive for us. To come here with three guys that I really admire and three really great friends is really special. It's going to be tough to emulate.

Since I've been here, obviously I've been playing great, and to make that putt on 16 was bittersweet. I was really chuffed, and then to know that Branden birdied 17 when we were driving on the cart, like Louis and I were going nuts, and we were really excited to get to the green and see what was going to happen up 18.

But yeah, I'm just ecstatic to be -- I'm glad Louis phoned me, and I'm here to say, man. If you'll have me, I'm here to stay. I like the smell of champagne on my shirt.

Q. DJ, obviously people will look at the rain delay as kind of slowing your momentum. Would you agree, disagree with that?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, everybody had to come in. Came out, I hit a nice shot into 8 to start the rain delay, good drive on 9, didn't hit a great wedge shot, just hit it a little too hard. But made a nice 4.

I wish I could blame it on the rain delay. It wasn't the rain delay's fault, though. No. 10 was really the only hole where I had a little bit of a hiccup and everything that could go wrong went wrong on that hole. It happens, but I battled back and obviously put myself in a position to have a chance to win, and ended up getting it done.

Q. Louis, was it the braai every day that was the key element?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Yeah, so I did a good braai back home, or at the house we rented, and Branden went out and shot 9-under, so now I knew I need to do it every night, the same thing. Yeah, I was the cook, the chef this week, so boys, if you do that every week I'll be the chef every time. Yeah, it was good fun.

Q. Obviously you had the ribbons for John Bland this week. I asked Branden this on Friday. He said maybe he was looking down on you. Did you feel that during the week?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Look, it's amazing how these things happen. Blandy was inspiration to all of us growing up watching him play, and Branden had more to do with him down at Fancourt. It's sad to see a legend like that go, pass away. It was just nice to sort of know in the back of our minds that he was there with us this week.

Q. Branden, just the final putt in regulation, obviously that was to get into the playoff, but you also had the team element involved. Did you know all the elements that were in play on that putt?

BRANDEN GRACE: Listen, I just didn't want to miss the putt so the Aces clipped us by one again. I thought DJ's putt made it all square; we were going to go out in the playoff, and I was just wondering who Louis was going to pick for the two other guys.

At the end of the day, you want to get out there, last thing you want to do is miss a putt on the last hole. Just went through the routines, managed to hit two putts. I actually hit a great first putt that was straight on line, and just nice finishing it out and then knowing that the team was successful.

Q. Louis, just getting back after a year, you guys have been knocking on the door, so close. Were there times it was a bit frustrating that you were getting so close and not able to get the champagne celebration?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Yeah, but the standard of golf on Sundays is so high. If you have two guys that shoot 6-, 7-under, and a third guy 3-, 4-under, it's tough to do the same. You need to play some good golf on Sunday especially, and we've -- our scoring was good always, but on the Sunday just not the way it should be, and today I played with Dean. Dean played unbelievable, could have probably went to 8-, 9-under. He hit some great putts that didn't go in, and Branden played nicely and Charl played good.

You need that Sunday round where we three or all the guys really step up and just get good scores.

Q. DJ, I had asked you yesterday about the PGA Championship. Obviously your game is trending in the right direction. How do you feel about going to Oak Hill now?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I think I did pretty well there in '13. Obviously that's a long time ago, but yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Obviously it's a really good golf course. It's going to be tough. I like tough golf courses. It's going to play tough, and from what I hear the rough is really deep.

Yeah, looking forward to it. I feel like the game is in really good form going into next week, so we'll see what happens.

Q. Are you heading out tonight?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm heading up as soon as I'm done with this.

Q. DJ, you had been putting so well this week. You missed a few short putts there at the start of the back nine. Did you tell yourself anything to reset yourself and get back on track?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I was hitting good putts. It wasn't like -- I was hitting them good, so just read them a little bit better. But some of the putts you get out here, you get a lot of double breakers, even from pretty close range just because of the slopes in the greens, and they're tricky to read. I did a really -- I feel like me and A.J. did a good job this week reading them. Can't read them all right, though.

Q. As the team captain, go through and rank your guys on who you think will party the hardest tonight versus who will party the least?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: That's going to be a tight contest. I don't know. I think it's going to be evenly -- I think Dean might beat us all tonight.

DEAN BURMESTER: This is my first one, so I'm going to f---ing celebrate.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: If I didn't have the PGA next week I'd celebrate with you.

Q. There were two guys that shot 61 today. Branden, of course you know what that feels like. How aware are you guys of what other players are doing on a day like this?

BRANDEN GRACE: I'm just happy he bogeyed one of his last holes so he didn't take the record. But it happens.

I think the good thing was DJ was two ahead, I was a few ahead of Bubba. That was who I was worried about the whole day. Obviously you're going to get those guys like Cam that win lights out, and it's going to happen. The class of players out here has just grown and grown, and there's some great scores to be played and going up there.

But when we see them making birdies, you know what you have to do, and just happy that both of us managed to make things count when we had to.

Q. DJ, the crowds looked great out there, especially day one and day two. Would you guys like to see Oklahoma have another LIV event, and what were your overall thoughts of the fan support this week?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I thought the fans were great this week. Tons of fans out there. Obviously there was a ton of people out today, too, until the rain delay. Still a lot of fans came back right at the end there. There was some good crowds.

Yeah, I was really pleased with the turnout and the vibe out here this week was really good.

Q. What about you guys, Stingers?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, I reiterate what DJ said. I think the fans were awesome, and I think Oklahoma and Tulsa are starved of great golf, and I think we brought that this week, so I'm hoping to come back, and I think we'd like to come back to the same golf course, right, so we can defend this crown.

Q. DJ, you mentioned you played Oak Hill in 2013. Have you been up there this year for any preparation, or Dean, have you been up there?

DEAN BURMESTER: I haven't seen it, so I'm going to go on DJ saying the rough is a bit long.

DUSTIN JOHNSON: The only reason I know is because Patrick, P-Reed went up, I think he was up there Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Q. DJ, the ending there was obviously a really cool way to end it in a three-person playoff going into the grandstands. You had putts almost from the same spot. Can you describe the moment from your perspective?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously you're in a playoff. Everybody is around, your team, all the other guys are sitting there watching. It's a big moment, and it's one that we all obviously were trying to take advantage of. I was just lucky enough to roll it in.

Q. Branden, can I get your take on what you thought of Tulsa as a host and Oklahoma as a host for this tournament?

BRANDEN GRACE: It was great. Last time we were here for the PGA last year was amazing. This week has been great. I think in my eyes it's definitely been the biggest fan turnout in the States that we've had. It was awesome. Yesterday was amazing. Today was good, like DJ said, until the weather came in, but all in all, the guys stuck around right until the end, and that's what makes events like this special.