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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONSNovember 3, 2013Dustin JohnsonSHANGHAI, CHINA LAURA NEAL: We'd like to welcome Dustin Johnson to the interview room. You started off your 2013 season with a win. Tell us what it feels like to start off another season with a win, this time in a World Golf Championships event. DUSTIN JOHNSON: It feels good. It's been a long year. So obviously getting off this year with a win is definitely huge, especially winning HSBC‑WGC. It's my biggest win I've had so far in my career, and you know, it feels really good. Especially I put a lot of work in this year, and I've struggled a lot. Got off, I won the first event of the year and I struggled a little bit through the end. But you know, I've been putting in a lot of work the last month or two, and you know, it definitely feels really good to get a win and get off to a good start this year. Q. Wonder if you can talk about the difference between fun and pressure, and specifically if you can talk about that five‑hole stretch at the end. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, that was fun. The first five holes were not fun. Especially I missed a short putt on 1, and then into the birdieing 2 with a 6‑iron in, that was pretty bad, just a poor shot. So I wasn't having too much fun at the start, especially when Graeme and Ian, they were birdieing every hole it seemed like starting out. But I knew I just needed to keep playing my game, keep getting it in the fairway‑‑ and birdieing 8 and 9 were huge for me to get back, at least to shoot 1‑under on the front, because it felt like‑‑ at one point it wasn't as easy as it was yesterday but it was still doable with the greens being soft and the greens were rolling so good. But honestly, turning on the back side, probably the biggest putt I made was that one on 14 which Ian was already in there for birdie, and Graeme had just holed a 40‑footer. So that was a big putt there. And then obviously the pitch‑in on 16 and the birdie on 17 was huge. Q. 3‑iron on 16? DUSTIN JOHNSON: 3‑iron, yeah, just short of the green. If I were to place the ball, that would be where I would place it. Q. Before we had a contest for Chinese golf fans to guess who is the winner and basically after the second day and the third day, and you Rory McIlroy would be the most favourite to win the tournament, and so now by not only beating Rory, but also by winning this tournament, you will gain yourself a lot of China golf fans. So anything you want to say to our Chinese fans here? DUSTIN JOHNSON: (Smiling) Thanks for all the support. The fans out there this week were great. You know, maybe a few too many camera clicks, but other than that, it was all right. You know, it was big crowds here on Saturday and Sunday, and I can't thank the guys enough for coming out and supporting me. Q. Please share your experience about the important eagle putt on the 16th hole. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I think at that point, I was one ahead on 16. So, you know, I knew 16 and 18 were really birdie holes, and then 17 is a tough par 3. But I knew on 16, I just needed to hit a good tee shot, which I hit it perfect. And the pitch shot, I was talking to my brother right before I hit it. I said, "I think I'm going to make this one." I hit the pitch just perfect and it went right in the middle. That was huge, and especially to have a two‑shot lead going into 17; and I hit a great shot to 17 about seven or eight feet and holed that putt. And then to have a three‑shot lead going into 18, that's right where I want to be. I think someone asked me earlier in the week, you know, if you've got a three‑shot lead, what are you doing on 18. I said I'm going to hit 3‑iron off the tee, and I did, which is perfect. I couldn't get there unless I hit a perfect drive, and after hitting it in the water yesterday, I wasn't hitting driver. But, you know, three really good shots on 18. Q. You were well known as a powerful hitter, but this time in the HSBC Champions, we see a long distance and short distance putting that you're doing really well, been a putting king so far. Can you share with us, during the season, what kind of strategy or what kind of ways do you use to train yourself in getting ready and to have such a good performance on putting? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, obviously this week, I putted very well. But just from practise‑‑ all I practise really is short putts inside ten feet. Just really work on hitting it on my line, hitting it down the line. You know, today at the beginning of the day, I didn't putt very well, but I was more trying to make putts instead of trying to hit them down the line and just let the ball go in the hole. But you know, just as far as putting, it comes and goes. I struggled a little bit this year with the putting, and then, you know, I've been practicing a pretty good bit with it lately and played good at The Tour Championship and this week, and putted good in Australia, too. Putting is all about just repetition, keep doing the same thing over and over. Q. In the last few holes when the score is 21‑under, everybody is so tense, I know the players are intense, and I'm very tense, as well, because we already had bid one hundred dollars on you and if you won, I keep $3,000. How do players feel during that time when everybody is tied up in the game? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's definitely tense. We are all grinding. All three of us were grinding. Wasn't much talking going on between us the last few holes, because you know, I mean‑‑ but I know for me personally, I held it together pretty good. Honestly, on 17, after I chipped in on 16, definitely I was feeling pretty good about where I was at and pretty comfortable, and then 17, heart is beating a little fast for sure. Not as much on the tee shot, but on the putt, you know, you can definitely feel everything is moving a little bit quicker. But I still‑‑ it's definitely nervous, but it's a good nervous. I thought I controlled my nerves very well today, and 18, I could feel the heat on 18, for sure. Q. How far would you estimate you were on No. 16 for that chip‑in? And second of all, sorry if you already talked about this earlier in the week, but was there a reason why your brother was caddying for you instead of Bobby this week? DUSTIN JOHNSON: For 16, I mean, it might have been 20 yards‑‑ yeah, 20 yards. I had about ten yards to the front and then, you know, it was about‑‑ yeah, it was about 20 yards. And then Bobby‑‑ my brother came to caddie for me in Australia and then so‑‑ and then he was coming onto Thailand with me. So I just called Bob and said there's no point for him to fly all the way over here for this one week, especially he just had a new baby. So I told him just to stay home with the kid. Q. Now that you've won a WGC event, do you feel like a major is the next step, and which one do you feel your game is more suited to? And how often, if at all, do you think about Whistling Straits? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don't really think about it unless I see a picture or someone asks a question. But I mean, major is always the next step. You know, am I suited best for one or the other, I don't think so. I think they all suit me very well. You know what, if I play like I did this week, I'm going to win one for sure. But you know, I really like Augusta, so I mean, that would be my favourite one. But I grew up right down the street from Augusta, and you know, I just love playing that golf course. Q. Well, obviously today due to the weather conditions and particularly as you mentioned some of the Chinese fans might give you some kind of distraction together with the weather, but you were consistent, and especially with the high focus in the golfing field this time. How did you train for this kind of high intensity and high focus level to deal with the game? And secondly, from yesterday's game, you had your up‑and‑downs, maybe referring to the double‑bogey. So when you're entering today, particularly in the last few holes, how did you settle down yourself to avoid the same kind of mistakes once again? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Can you repeat that? I'm just kidding. (Laughter). I mean, obviously I've been in this situation time and time again, so you know, you practise and you train for this. So I've put in a lot of work and a lot of practise. But you still, even when you're practicing, you can't put your mind and your body in this situation. So you know, it's almost impossible to practise for that. But you've just got to know in that situation, you've got to trust yourself and know what you're doing, and like what you did to get there is the right thing. So obviously I was playing well and swinging well and not trying to do anything different than what I have been doing. Just keep doing what I've been doing; that's what got me there, so why would I try to change it. LAURA NEAL: Dustin, thank you and congratulations. Enjoy your celebration. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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