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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

February 15, 2009

Dustin Johnson

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

MARK STEVENS: I'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson to the interview room. Dustin, you can't comment on your round today, but if you could just kind of comment on your thoughts on the decision to play tomorrow and kind of what you've been doing today to pass the time.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, the weather today has not been very good, as all y'all can see. But we've just been hanging out at the house, watching TV, playing around on the computer a little bit, trying to figure out what they're going to do. I just got a text a little while ago that says we're teeing off in the morning. Hopefully that will work out. I'm ready to play. Obviously I'll be real ready to play tomorrow after sitting around for a little over a day waiting to see what's going to happen.

Q. What do you think the difference will be between being an overnight leader and an overnight-overnight leader?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know. I've never really been in this situation, so I'm not sure. I don't think it's any different. No one got to play today, so I guess it will just feel like another Sunday.

Q. Did you ever watch this back in the late '90s when they lost a few rounds? Obviously you were like 12, 13 years old then. Do you remember the situation watching it on TV?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't remember watching it on TV, but talking to some of the guys, they told me -- I think one time they had to come back in October or something and finish -- August. I knew it was sometime later on in the year. Hopefully we don't have to do that. But I don't really remember.

Q. You said that you don't have trouble sleeping, and with the overnight lead and not knowing the weather situation, was that the case? Did you sleep okay last night?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I was in bed early from a long day yesterday. But I was up pretty early this morning and ready to go, a lot earlier than normal probably.

Q. What did you watch on TV this morning while you were waiting?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: SportsCenter, a lot of SportsCenter, and then we watched a movie. I think it was The Transporter.

Q. Good movie?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it was pretty good. I was just finishing it up when I got a phone call to come over here.

Q. You seem pretty poised. How anxiety-filled will this be to play in a PGA TOUR event with a lead like this going into the final round and having gone through what you have this weekend waiting around like this?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Obviously I'm going to be nervous tomorrow. I get nervous every time I step on the first tee. But it's just how you embrace it and how you let it affect you. You know, if you turn it in -- I like the feeling. It makes me feel good whenever you get that -- when you get the nervousness feeling or however you want to describe it. You get the juices flowing whenever you're around the lead, it's a good feeling.

Q. Given the forecast for tomorrow, is there any part of you that wouldn't have minded if they said, "That's it, Boys, the tournament is over"?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't know because it hasn't happened. I don't want it to be called. I'd rather it be played tomorrow than not.

Q. Why, if it was called at 54 and you were the winner, would that feel tainted at all?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, a little bit because we didn't get to play all 72 holes. I don't really know how I'd feel because it hasn't happened yet, but I'm looking forward to playing tomorrow and I hope we get to.

Q. Did you get a chance to see what kind of shape the course is in today?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I haven't been out here. I went over -- the driving range didn't look too good. I was over at the driving range. That didn't look too good. I talked to a buddy that was over in one of the tents, and he said it looked pretty rough out there.

Q. Did you go out and hit balls at all, or you just went out to the driving range and came back?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I went this morning for breakfast, and that was about it, walked in, had breakfast and went back home.

Q. Does the delay in the weather interfere with your preparation? Did you come out and start getting ready in your mind or start stretching or anything like that and then have to stop?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I came out like we were going to tee off at the original time at 9:45 to eat breakfast. I usually get here about two hours early, eat breakfast and just take my time getting ready and then usually go out about an hour and 15, hour and 20 before I have to play.
I mean, I got a text when I was sitting down for breakfast, but it didn't -- I kind of knew it was coming. It was just a matter of fact when it came.

Q. Did the text say, "Eat real slow"?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, first it was a two-hour delay, then it was a four-hour, then a 3:30 tee time, and I just got a call a little while ago that said we weren't playing.

Q. Are you doing LA next week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, playing LA.

Q. For you and everybody else that's playing in LA, how much does a delay like this kind of throw things off for the following week?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It'll throw some things off a little bit. I've played there before, so I know the course. Obviously we won't get in there until a little bit later, hopefully get in tomorrow night, and depending on whether I'm in the Wednesday pro-am or not, how much I've got to prepare on Tuesday.

Q. What's the worst weather you've ever played in?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was probably in college. Just cold and rainy with some wind is probably the worst weather you can get.

Q. Any specific events or matches you remember?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I remember qualifying. I didn't play too many qualifiers for our team, but being out playing in it, that was probably the most brutal in Myrtle Beach, playing in January when it was 40 degrees, raining with 20 miles an hour winds.

Q. Did you qualify?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I always did (laughter).

Q. Where was the Walker Cup?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: That was in Northern Ireland at Royal County Down. We lucked out. We had pretty good weather. The wind blew a little bit. We didn't really get much rain, but the weather overall was actually pretty doable.

Q. I heard a pretty funny story about the nervousness on the first tee and hitting your ball while your name was still being announced.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I was pretty nervous. We were the first match out in the Walker Cup, and we were playing Rory McIlroy and his partner, and there was quite a lot of people standing on the first tee. Yeah, I think I did hit before he even got done speaking. I was ready (laughter). He was taking too long.

Q. Sort of a non-weather question, but last year you were up here and said the only time you had played Pebble Beach was on Tiger's video game, then you played well last year and now you're in the lead this year. What about these courses suits you so well do you think?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, obviously just the way it sets up for me, you know, just the way it looks to my eye. A lot of golfers, if the hole doesn't look right, it's hard to hit a good shot. I just like the way the course sets up. The way it looks, it's obviously very beautiful out there, and I just always enjoy playing here.

Q. If the weather turns out a little scratchy tomorrow, is it tough to get in the mindset that bogeys might be a pretty good score?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Obviously if it's blowing like this outside, bogey is not a bad score on some holes. Obviously you've got to take advantage of the holes that are downwind and just try to fight on the ones that are into the wind.

Q. You said you wanted to play tomorrow, but if they do call it, you'll still accept the trophy?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Of course I will. I'm not going to turn it down (laughter).

Q. A couple of non-tournament questions if you don't mind. Depending on how you do this year, you won at Turning Stone, but that was in the Fall Series. Would you still go back there even if you were eligible for lots of other things that were around it? Have you given it that much thought?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I don't think anything is scheduled during that week. I've already checked it out. Yeah, I'll definitely go back to Turning Stone.

Q. We talked about this yesterday, but last year your consistency was -- lack thereof, I guess, up-and-down quite a bit. How much of it was due to this being a really true, pure rookie season, and how much of that was after your grandmother and just kind of dealing with things?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Obviously it was unfortunate that my grandma passed away, but I can't really say that that was the reason. You know, being my first year, being a rookie out here, it's tough to get -- I wasn't used to playing so many events. It's hard to stay organized, stay focused for so long during the year, coming out of college where I played 12 events throughout the year and then maybe four summer tournaments. You have a lot of time off in between there to practice and refocus for the next week. You know, I think learning how to do that and knowing what to expect will help me a lot in preparing for this year.

Q. I assume you talked to Joe just about the pro-am being canceled. How did he feel about that part of it?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, he was very excited we won. He was obviously looking forward to playing today and so was I, but I talked to him this morning. He called me, and it's unfortunate we didn't get to play, but he was still very excited that we won. He still gets a trophy, and I think he was telling me we get our name on a plaque by the first tee.

End of FastScripts

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