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VERIZON HERITAGE

April 16, 2008

Dustin Johnson

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: We'd like to thank Dustin Johnson for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Verizon Heritage. Local boy who grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. I'm sure you have lots of family and friends here. But you've had a great start to your year, started out with the top 10 at Sony, top 12 the next week. So you've had a good start to your rookie year. Talk about being a rookie and then also touch on being close to home.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Being a rookie is a lot different, because you're learning stuff. It's hard to schedule, especially -- I got lucky, because I got to play right out the gate, since I played well. It was nice. Playing well, obviously I got -- my Q-School number is good, so I could enter the tournaments, which was nice.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Talk about being close to Columbia and being here at the Heritage.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's nice being close to home, because all my family and friends get to come out and watch. And it's really the first tournament I've had a chance at it. My mom came down to Orlando, but that's the only one we've really had close enough where my family and friends could come out. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a fun week.

Q. Do you feel any more pressure here this week, because of it being so close to home or is it just another tournament?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean it's actually going to be more fun, I think, because I'll have probably a pretty big crowd following me around, so it will be nice. It makes it a lot more fun when you've got a lot of people watching.
So I don't think it will be any more pressure. I'm used to playing in front of them, so it's not a big deal.

Q. Who are some of the people that are coming down? Can you go through any former teammates?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't think the team is going to be able to come down. They've got conference next week, so they're not going to make it. But my mom, my dad, my grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, they're all coming, uncles, aunts and grandparents. I mean, I don't know, there's a pretty long list of family coming down. And then I've got a bunch of friends coming, too.

Q. From where, Myrtle Beach or Columbia?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Friends from Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston, they're all coming.

Q. You're going to have quite the following it sounds like out there?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, we should.

Q. Are they all going to be color coordinated?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I doubt it.

Q. What's the difference been between the first four or five weeks and the last four or five tournaments? Obviously you came out really hot and you've missed some cuts since. What's happened in that time?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I played well the first four or five weeks, and I haven't really played bad, I don't think I've been doing the right things, like practice-wise. It's really tough playing all those times in a row. You've got to have some time off. I've never really had any time off. So it was real tough. And I just fell into a lot of bad habits.
So the last week I've just been really practicing hard and getting in the gym a lot. So I'm looking forward to this week and I'm pretty confident in my game right now.

Q. When you say "bad habits," swing bad habits? You said practice habits.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, you kind of lose -- it's tough for me to explain. My coach could tell you a lot more. Just not having a break, and playing a bunch, like just your basic fundamentals, you know, with your swing, set-up, posture and just stuff. Also I lost a lot of confidence in my putter, which I'm just not practicing right. I switched putters a few times this year. So I'm getting back to where I'm going to stick with one. I've been putting pretty good lately, so I'm excited.

Q. Which one are you sticking with?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: The Spider.

Q. Is it something you used in the past or did you use it before?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I used it at Buick, that's it. So I just started putting with it last week.

Q. Can you talk about your past experiences of this course in particular, and being from South Carolina, maybe where this course ranks in your favorites in the state?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It would probably be one of any top two favorites in the state, this one and then obviously there's another course I really like.
I've only played here a couple of times. I played a long time ago, when I was 11 or 12 was the last time I played it. I played it and we had a junior tournament here. I think I won the tournament. Good memories, I guess. What I remember of it.

Q. So you don't really have that much of a recollection of the course and how to play it or any of that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I couldn't. Coming in yesterday I couldn't have told you what one hole looked like, except for 18. And then, you know, once I got on the course I remembered them. But before I got out there I couldn't remember much. It was a long time ago when I played.

Q. And this course, it's a shorter placement course, and you're obviously a long hitter. Did you feel comfortable here? Do you think you have to adapt your game to it or are you comfortable playing it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I'm comfortable. Actually it works out well for me, I can hit a lot of 2-irons off the tees, which is strong for me. The tree line is really narrow. I like that. Even though I hit it long, I'm not a big fan of wide-open golf courses, because I hit it everywhere. So you have nothing to aim at.
But I like the golf course. I think it's in great condition. And I think it suits my game pretty well, small greens. It's a great little track.

Q. Being from South Carolina, do you have a lot of folks here this week, family, that sort of thing?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I do. I have a bunch of family and friends. Maybe a hundred. I've got a bunch.

Q. Would it be more important to you to get your first win somewhere so close to home?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Sure. It doesn't matter where I get my first win, it will still be very important. It doesn't matter if it's this week or at the end of the year. Obviously I'd like to get it here in front of my family and friends, but a win is a win, and it's very important anywhere it happens.

Q. You mentioned playing a lot in a row and all that. For a couple of years you had a real extensive summer amateur. You flew all over the place, playing in different tournaments every week. Is it just the different atmosphere that's here, because you seemed to play a lot week after week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's not necessarily playing all the time. But I had to get used to, I'm traveling by myself. The only schedule I'm on is mine.
At the beginning of the year I was a lot more disciplined than I was, say, the last few weeks. So I just needed to get back on -- get organized and actually have a schedule, playing golf for the whole week. It didn't work out so well. Because a few weeks where I missed a few cuts, I just wasn't very organized and my priorities weren't great.

Q. So what is your schedule this week? You have one pretty well laid out for this week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I just got my tee times. I'll find the time to get to the gym for at least an hour every day. So tomorrow morning, I'll go to the gym tomorrow afternoon, after I've played, then I'll practice and then I'll go to the gym. And then actually, on Friday morning, I'll work out before I go play. It's easier to schedule Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, than it is during the tournament, because you don't exactly know what the tee times are. As long as I stay focused and stay on schedule at the beginning of the week, the rest of the week will work out.

End of FastScripts

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