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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 16, 2013Dustin JohnsonPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA MICHAEL GIBBONS: Welcome to the Perth International, thanks for joining us. Give us a health update I suppose first. How are you feeling? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Feel a lot better today. Got a good bit of rest last night and definitely feeling better as the day goes on. Hopefully tomorrow be back to 100 per cent. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Just give us your thoughts on the course, obviously first look this morning in the Pro‑Am. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I thought the course was really good. It's in great shape. The greens are tough. They are really fast and a lot of undulations. So it's tough to get the ball close to the hole. They are really firm, too. So there's a bit of wind out there today, so you know, you've got to hit some really good tee shots, and then you've got to be really spot‑on with your irons coming into the greens. The par 5s are pretty reachable and there's a few short holes where you can make a lot of birdies. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Give us a quick update on your own form; happy with it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it pretty good. I didn't really get to practice any the last few days, I haven't been feeling well. But I was fairly pleased with it today. Q. What's behind the illness? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think it's just a head cold. It's not too bad, hopefully‑‑ starting to feel probably 70 per cent today, so hopefully tomorrow I'll feel a lot better. I think I just got something on the plane on the way over. Q. You've been described as an athlete‑type of golfer; do you think the game of golf is changing and you're part of that new breed? Can you talk us through that? DUSTIN JOHNSON: If you look at a lot of the younger players, from I guess my generation and behind us, golfers are getting a lot bigger. They are a lot stronger. Even the younger guys coming out, they are a lot taller, and I think it's just golf's become more of an athlete's sport. Q. How much time do you spend in the gym? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Sometimes I'm really good and then sometimes I get lazy and I don't spend as much time. But I try to get to the gym five times a week but you know, just depends. When I'm out on Tour and I'm playing in a tournament, I'm in the gym every day and probably do maybe three workouts during the week. But I'm in the gym every morning and every afternoon stretching and doing some warmups and doing a light workout and maybe doing like two to three good workouts during the week. Q. I suppose the public perception of golf, guys just come out, have a hit and go home; it's not like that anymore, is it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's not. Guys are in the gym every day, in the morning and afternoon, and you know, in between practicing and everything else, we put in pretty long days. Q. What made you decide to come out to Perth and play in this tournament? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, they had been I guess talking to me about it, and it fit into the schedule pretty nicely. I had a few weeks off after THE TOUR Championship, and then play Perth and then go on up and play the HSBC in Shanghai. Q. Have you played much in Australia before? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Two years ago when I came over, I played in Sydney. The week before The Presidents Cup, I think I played the Australian Open, and then went up and played The Presidents Cup in Melbourne. So that's the only ‑‑ this is my third time playing golf over here. Q. You have seven PGA TOUR wins under your belt and you've placed in the Majors a few times, just speaking about the Majors, what do you have to do to take the next step and go all the way there? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Majors, they are always tough. You have the best golfers in the world, and you know, you're playing tough golf courses, and the conditions are tough; the rough is usually really high and they try to get the greens firm and fast. So it's always very difficult. But you know, you just‑‑ you've got to play four good rounds. You can play three really good ones and one just mediocre, you can't get it done. You have to play four solid rounds.  I think you've really got to chip and putt it well during the Majors. Q. We saw with Adam Scott, he had public heartbreak and support, and you've had your own heartbreak in Majors; how much of a driving force is that and how much do you learn? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I think if you talk to anyone, you always learn more from like when you don't succeed. You learn a lot about yourself. So that's definitely helped, and I've been up there in the Majors, and I've played really well on Sundays. It's tough. You've really got to, coming down the stretch, a lot of times, you've got to make birdies and you've got to hit great golf shots. So it's always really difficult, but you know, I think I'm starting to contend a lot more in the Majors and be up there in the top, and the more you do that, the more comfortable you get. And I think, you know, you've just got to keep giving yourself opportunities. Q. Have you shared stories with Adam Scott? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Every once in awhile, you know, you're with your buddies, we'll talk about it, but nothing really. I try to, when something happens, I try to learn from it and I'm done with it. Q. I read somewhere today that you're a very good basketball player. Why did you choose golf over basketball? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was a sport that just‑‑ growing up, I played all the sports and I really enjoyed playing all of them. Since I was in seventh grade, I made the varsity team in my high school, so I played for the high school team when I was in seventh grade. I just really‑‑ golf I think just suited me better. But I still enjoy and I still have a love for basketball and play it whenever I can. Q. We had another American here last year and he went on to win the US PGA Championship; are you hope being you can emulate his feat? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, me and Duf are really good friends. I would love to; hopefully Perth is a good luck charm. Q. Bo Van Pelt said yesterday he came in last year and saw the course on Wednesday and was able to get it; pretty confident you can do the same? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I hope so. I think around here, just got to, if the putter is rolling good, then I'm going to have a good chance to win. It's a golf course, I think it suits my eye pretty well, and just there's a lot of birdies to be made out there. Q. Do you think that will be the key? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, I just need to take advantage of the par 5s. If I play the par 5s really well, I think I'll be up there on Sunday. Q. Did you have anybody come over with you, any family, friends? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I've got my brother's caddying for me and my fiancée is here and also my manager, David Winkle. So I've got a couple people. Q. How fun is it just to have people come places? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's nice, especially at nighttime, going out to dinner and hanging out during the day, got some friends to hang out with, it definitely makes it a lot more fun. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Dustin, thanks for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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