DJ ON MIAMI, MASTERS, JOACO … AND RAHM’S DINNER MENU
The most recent of 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson’s two major victories is his Masters win in 2020 when he shot a record 20 under. He hasn’t finished inside the top 10 in his three subsequent starts at Augusta National, but he’ll enter the year’s Masters in good form after his one-stroke victory last month at LIV Golf Las Vegas.
This week, Johnson joined a virtual press conference with multiple golf writers and answered a variety of questions as he prepares for LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral, followed immediately by a trip to Augusta National for his 14th career Masters start, then another big global swing later in the month with LIV Golf tournaments in Adelaide and Singapore.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
COMPETING ON THE BLUE MONSTER PRIOR TO THE MASTERS:
“We're playing Doral, which is a fantastic golf course. I feel like it's going be good preparation just going into Augusta just as far as it's tough. It's long. You have to use all your clubs in your bag. You have to hit quality golf shots. Obviously, Augusta is different. But toughness-wise, I feel like it's fairly similar. It's one of those golf courses where you have to take advantage of the par 5s … I like the golf course. I've always liked the golf course there. Anytime you're playing a challenging golf course going into a major, it's going be good prep.”
ON HIS FORM THIS YEAR COMPARED TO 2023:
“Last year, I struggled a little bit, didn't play near as well as I'd like to. But this year, obviously getting off to a little bit better start, I feel like the game's in really good form. To be honest, putting in a little more work. just wasn't pleased with my results. Putting in the effort, I think, is the biggest thing. I just wasn't happy with the way I played. So, I'm working a little bit harder this year.”
ON HIS FORM COMPARED TO 2020 WHEN HE WON THE MASTERS:
“I was playing very good, and that week I played very well all four days, but I see signs of it [now]. I feel like the game is trending in that direction. Am I exactly there? It'll be hard to get back to as good as I played that week. But am I playing good enough now where I can have a week like that? Absolutely.”
ON PLAYING A GLOBAL SCHEDULE:
“I think it's great. It's always good to, travel and play a little bit all over the world. Obviously, I do that more now being on LIV. I enjoy going to new places and playing different golf courses and learning new golf courses. Probably one course that really stands out, I never played, and probably would have never played if it wasn't for LIV is Valderrama. I think that course is fantastic and can't wait to go back there this summer.”
ON JON RAHM’S CHAMPIONS DINNER MENU:
“I have seen the menu, yes. I'm sure it's going be fantastic. I don't know what a lot of it is. I do know there’s ham. Playing in Spain last year, I ate a lot of ham, so I know that's going to be great. I love Spanish food; I'm just not that familiar with it. But I can imagine it's going to be great.”
ON TORQUE GC CAPTAIN JOAQUIN NIEMANN GETTING AN MASTERS INVITE:
“Joaquin getting invited to the Masters. I think that's great. I think he played well enough that he deserves the chance to compete. Obviously, it's still always up to Augusta and their tournament committee to decide who they invite. But he's a great player. He's played really well. He's gone and played events to try to get his world ranking up other than LIV events. I think he's done all the right things, and he's played well in those events. I'm very happy for him, and I was happy to see that Augusta gave him an invite.”
ON HIS BROTHER AJ AS HIS CADDIE:
“For me, it's been awesome. From when we started, I think he might have caddied for me somewhere, but when we when we started was actually Australia [in 2013]. We played Perth, and then our next event was the WGC Shanghai, and we ended up winning. Having my brother on my bag, getting to travel the world with my brother. You know, on the golf course, you spend a lot of time with your caddie, and so it's been awesome to share all these experiences with him, and obviously, it's only made us closer. I love having my brother on the bag. He's a fantastic caddie. From when he started till now, he's become one of the best caddies out there. He puts in just as much work as I do, and it's always great for me having my brother on the bag. He wants it just as much as you do. It's been really cool, and I've really enjoyed it, and I'm pretty sure AJ will be on the bag until I quit playing.”
ON HIS FORM IN EARLY 2017 WHEN HE WON THREE CONSECUTIVE STARTS:
“I never felt like I was unbeatable. But when I'm playing my best, and I'm out on the golf course or playing in a tournament, I know that no one can beat me.”
ON WHAT-IFS AFTER MISSING THE 2017 MASTERS DUE TO INJURY:
“Yeah, might have two green jackets instead of one. But no, I don't really think about it that much other than I do look back because I was working with Butch [Harmon] at that time. He has videos and stuff of my swing. And I had fantastic prep going into that week. We definitely look at the swing from that time, and kind of compare it and try to get back to that form. We use it because we know how well I was playing at that point.”
ON COMPETING AGAINST NON-LIV GOLFERS AT THE MASTERS:
“I've played with all of them for a long time, so I know how my game stacks up against them. Even last year going to Augusta felt normal. I've stayed close with all the guys that play the game. Especially all the guys that I've always hung out with. Living down in Jupiter, Florida, you know half the world of golf lives down here. I see the guys all the time. I'm always looking forward to playing the Masters. It's something that I look forward to every single year and honored to play and honored to be a champion. Definitely looking forward to going back.”
ON WHAT TO EXPECT AT LIV GOLF MIAMI:
"Every week's a big week for us. I think it's going be a great week, and you'll see a lot of good golf. You're going see a lot of guys out there grinding and working hard – especially the guys that are playing the next week at Augusta."