	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

February 13, 2009

Dustin Johnson

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

MARK STEVENS: We would like to welcome Dustin Johnson to the media centre. Dustin is 10-under at the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach. Why don't you start off with some general comments about your round today.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I started on 10 at Spyglass. Got off to a good start again. I was 4-under through the first seven holes I think, and then made double on 17, which is -- for Spyglass, is a fairly easy hole. So a little disappointed.
But then I played good the rest of the way in. I just really struggled getting it in the hole. We were playing behind everybody when we were playing the back, and it was really wet out there, so the greens got a little bumpy. Hit a lot of good putts, but just nothing went in.
Overall, played very well, hit the ball good. So I was fairly pleased with my round today.

Q. What happened on 17?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Hit a poor tee shot left, and then I tried to hit a very small gap, I was trying to hit it at the flag, and poorly executed it.
I hit a tree and then I chipped it right up to the side of the green on my third shot. And then I chipped it on the green to about four feet and had a little loopty-doo with my putt, spun around the hole two times and then it came at me. It went around more than once.

Q. I was out there and unfortunately saw the double for you out there, but it doesn't seem like you get too up or down, at least not on your exterior. That had to be pretty disappointing, though. How did you react to that and then move on?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I was a little disappointed, but you know, I made the decision to hit the shot when I made the double bogey, so I wasn't too mad. I was still playing well.
You know, I would like to maybe have that tee shot back, but other than that, I don't ever get too mad. Actually, you'll never see me really get mad.

Q. Has that always been the case? Have you always been pretty even-keeled?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I always have. You know, I've gotten mad before on the golf course. It doesn't help anything. It really doesn't.

Q. If you hit a good tee shot on 17, where's the ball?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I just hooked it a little too much.

Q. (No mic).
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I started on 10. I birdied 10, 12, 14 and 15 and then dulled 17 and birdied 7 on the front. The par 5, I hit a 6-iron about 15 feet. Just hit a good putt.

Q. What were the details on 10, 12, 14, 16?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: First hole, I hit a good tee shot, just through the fairway, which the fairway on 10 is like eight yards wide when it goes around the tree.
Then I hit it on the green about 25 feet and made a really good putt.
12, the par 3, I think that's a little short downhill one. I hit in there about ten, 12 feet just right of it and made it.
I actually on 11 two, I hit it like this (indicating close) for birdie and just hit something and horseshoed. I parred it but hit it like this far.
Then 14, the par 5, I wedged it in there -- I tapped it in.
On 15, the shorter, downhill par 3, I hit a wedge to about a foot. Those are easy. I like those. Don't really have to think too much about them.

Q. How much wetter was it today than yesterday? Obviously it rained quite a bit overnight. You caught a break and it didn't rain during the day, but were the fairways that much more soaked?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Oh, yeah, the ball -- I don't think my ball ever pitched forward once all day on the fairway. I had a couple plug in the fairway. It was very, very wet.
You know, which makes the course play pretty long, and it's already a pretty long golf course.
It was difficult. It was a lot more difficult to get it close to the hole today.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, to you play anymore aggressively? The forecast sounds like tomorrow could be okay but Sunday could be pretty nasty. The fact that you're in the mix, do you play anymore aggressively?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Oh, I play aggressive all the time. No, I'm not going to change anything. I don't really shy away from too much. So it will just be a normal day.
You know, obviously we have a chance that we might not play Sunday, so obviously it's a little more important, but I'm not going to change my game plan at all.

Q. Where were you in the golfing world in 2001? I'm trying to think of where you might have been, high school or playing?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: High school.

Q. When Retief won at Southern Hills for his first major.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I was in high school.
I've always liked Goose. He was always one of my favourite players.

Q. Why?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I just like his action.

Q. What about it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, you know, he's very -- obviously he's very relaxed, never gets too up, too down. But I mean, it's just fun to watch him play.

Q. Were you watching golf back then?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yes, I was. I don't know if I can remember that exact one, but I do remember the tournament and I do remember him winning.

Q. Looking for just your general thoughts on what your goal is until Sunday in terms of having to be on different courses and what you're trying to accomplish through three day, just trying to be there and are you happy with where you are so far?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: You know, obviously guys are spread out over three courses, but you know, one course might be a little bit harder than the other one or vice versa, but it's kind of funny, because if you look at scores, they all still about the same on each course. You might have -- obviously Goose played very well at Pebble today. I played pretty well at Pebble yesterday, but then Garrigus played very well at Spyglass yesterday, too.
You know, if you play really well, if you hit the ball really good, you can shoot a low number on any of the courses. So you've just got to -- it's very important to play solid.
MARK STEVENS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297