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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONSNovember 1, 2013Dustin JohnsonSHANGHAI, CHINA JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson, the 36‑hole leader here at the World Golf Championships ‑ HSBC Champions. You tied the course record today with a 63. If you can give us some opening comments about a great day for you and a good start to the tournament. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm definitely happy where I'm at. You know, played really well the last two days. Got off to a fast start yesterday, 2‑over. Actually 1‑over through the first nine holes, and then played good on the front side, which was my back side. Then started right back up today and played really good on the front. And another good, solid back nine, and you know, just the last two days, I've really drove the ball really well. You know, for me, that's a big key. Drove it well today and I hit a lot of good iron shots, and I think it's kind of tough to get it really close to these holes, but you know, I made a lot of nice ten‑, 15‑footers today. Q. Would you talk about what happened on 16? I didn't see on the other side of the hill, looked like you had your driver out for a drop. Was it a penalty drop or what kind of relief was it? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I was in the fairway. I was just in a drain. My closest point was on the left side, and I was trying to see if I could get it over to the right. Just have a little better lie. I ended up just dropping really close to where I was. Q. Off the tee was what? DUSTIN JOHNSON: 3‑iron. Q. Trying to hit the green? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. I was trying to hit it maybe five yards left of where I did. I was just trying to hit it just short there so I had a pitch up to the green. I pushed it a little bit, which I knew if I hit it even down in that bowl is not bad to that flag. I just knew I didn't want to hit it long left. Q. Did you know that you have a lot of female fans in China, and they are asking you, have you brought your beautiful girlfriend to China? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's my fiancée. Yeah, she's here. Q. What kind of support do you think your fiancée has provided you so far in your career? DUSTIN JOHNSON: She travels a lot with me, so she gives me a lot of support. I think she likes it. So, yeah, she's very supportive of me. Q. Does she like China? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, she's enjoyed it so far. Q. Has your fiancée noticed that she has a lot of rivals for your affections? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I have no idea. I'm sure she does but I don't know. She doesn't bother me with that. Q. So a sensible question. Could you tell me some of your clubbing on the par 5s, more interesting clubbing? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Let's see, on 2, I hit driver, 5‑iron. 8, I can't get to. On the back, I hit driver, 4‑iron on 14, and then 18 I hit a terrible drive and just laid up with a 9‑iron and hit a sand wedge. Q. First question is, from last year's HSBC Champions, you got a pretty bad round on the third day when you hit over 80. What happened there, because actually day one and day two and the final round, you were doing pretty well, around 60‑something. So what happened last year? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I shot a 35‑47. That's how I shot 82. I made a couple‑‑ I made a triple, a double, a quad, I don't know. It was a bad day. Don't really think about it. (Laughter). Q. The reason for the question, this year we are playing on a different venue for the HSBC Champions. So does it mean a situation like this would be avoided, would not happen? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, let's hope so (laughter). But yeah, it's a completely different golf course than Mission Hills. For me, I like this golf course a lot better. It seems to fit my eye pretty well, and I enjoy playing it a little bit more, too. Q. Obviously after 36 holes, a five‑shot lead is not enough to start playing defensively. When is a five‑shot lead enough to start playing for pars and forcing the others to come at you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I don't tend to play defensively. You know, I just play my game and I play pretty aggressive. You know, that's my game. So, you know, tomorrow I'm going to go out and try to do the same thing I did today. I mean, I didn't play really aggressive today. I just took what the golf course gave me and just tried to hit quality golf shots to give myself looks at birdies. Q. Can you talk about the six birdies in seven holes to start with. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, the first hole, I hit a good drive right down the middle and a 9‑iron to about ten feet. Made a good putt, just straight up the hill, breaking a little bit right‑to‑left. 2, hit a perfect drive straight through the fairway left of the bunker, kind of the line I was trying to hit it on. Just hit it really good and went too far. I hit a pretty good shot from there. But I left it in that front right bunker, which is not a good spot to be, and hit one of my better bunker shots I've hit this year to about eight feet and made it, because I have about a 40‑yard bunker shot up and over a hill. So that got me off to a good start, and I had a good look on 3 from about 12 feet and missed it, miss‑read it. Then, let's see, 4‑‑ I'm trying to think where I hit it. I made birdie. And then 5, I hit a driver right down the middle. Hit sand wedge to about ten feet and made it, maybe 12 feet. 6, I think I birdied 6, the par3 I birdied. I hit it to about four feet there. Q. What did you hit in there? DUSTIN JOHNSON: 7‑iron. Oh, I know what I did‑‑ I hit 7‑iron, too, on that one, and hit it about eight feet right behind the hole. Then on 6, I hit it four feet just short of the hole. Q. 17? DUSTIN JOHNSON: The little short hole? I hit driver just short right of the bunker‑‑ or just short of the bunker and then just chipped it up there to about three feet. Q.  Do you know off the top of your head what would be the longest iron you hit into a par 4 today? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Hit to a par 4? I don't know, not very long. 8‑iron maybe. To a par 4, 8‑iron would be max. Q. More generally, you won the first tournament of last season, and this is your first start this year. Does it feel like your first start of a new season? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, it still hasn't hit me that this is a new season yet. You know, obviously I'd like to get off to a good start, so it would be‑‑ I just want to play well in the next two days. I've got some time off before‑‑ hopefully if I get into Tiger's event; I'm first alternate now, and then I'll play Shark Shootout and then I'll be in Hawai'i. I've got a nice little break coming up. Q. Perth? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I played Perth. JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you, Dustin Johnson. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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