Dustin

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Dustin Johnson was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in June 1984. His father Scott was the head pro at the Mid Carolina Club, just outside the state capital, and it wasn’t long before young Dustin was spending hours there hitting balls.

By his early teens, Johnson was going round 18 holes in the low 60s and making bold – but accurate – predictions about the golfing success that lay in wait for him.

He played for his college, Coastal Carolina University, and won tournaments as an amateur, as well as playing on the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams in 2007.

Johnson turned pro that year and recorded his first PGA Tour victory in late 2008 by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt to win the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York, by one stroke.

Early in 2009, he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and a couple of months later he became only the second person to eagle successive holes in the Masters at Augusta, on the 13th and 14th.

By now the long-hitting Johnson, whose 6ft 4in height made him stand out in any crowd, looked like a Major winner in waiting – but that wait would go on for a surprisingly long time.

A combination of factors conspired to keep Dustin Johnson out of the winner’s circle at the Majors over the next few years.

He had a one-shot lead going into the final hole at the PGA Championship in 2010, but received a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker.

Then he tied for second place at The Open Championship in 2011 after going out in the final group – which he did three times in that year without clinching victory.

Johnson missed two months of the 2012 season because of a back injury, while in 2014 he took the second half of the year off to deal with personal issues. 

In 2015, he led the US Open after three rounds and The Open at halfway, but could not seal the deal. By the start of 2016, he had finished in the top 10 of the Majors 10 times without winning one.

That changed at the US Open, held that year at Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Johnson played consistently well throughout the tournament and a final round of 69 gave him victory by three shots.

He initially finished four clear, but was later penalized a shot for making his ball move as he addressed it on the fifth green – even though he was not docked a stroke at the time.

More victories followed in 2017, propelling him to the top of the world rankings – where he would spend a total of 135 weeks over the next four years.

Dustin Johnson believed from an early age he was destined to be a golfing champion, but his road to the top was littered with adversity, including his parents’ marriage breaking down while he was in high school.

But nothing emphasized the maturity of his adult years better than the way he won his second Major title, the 2020 Masters.

The tournament was staged in November rather than its traditional springtime slot because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which also meant there were no patrons in attendance at the iconic Augusta venue.

Play was disrupted by storms, but nothing could distract Johnson from his aim of winning a Green Jacket. He shared the lead over both of the first two rounds, then eased clear with a magnificent bogey-free 65 on day three.

Four strokes ahead going into the last round, he dropped a couple of early shots but then reeled off a series of birdies to become the first man in Masters history to reach 20-under par. His eventual margin of victory was an emphatic five shots.

Given his status as a multiple Major champion, a recent No.1 in the world ranking, and the winner of more than 20 PGA Tour events, it represented a considerable coup when Dustin Johnson signed a LIV contract in early June 2022.

He was one of the earliest – and one of the most high-profile – recruits to the new series that is shaking up golf.

His departure from the Tour sparked some consternation from some PGA pros and media, but Johnson responded to LIV Golf critics in a consistently dignified manner.

He said in 2024: “I was on the Tour for 15 years, and I love everything it did for me – I always have and still do. But it’s also pretty cool to start something completely new and it’s more of a global tour, where you play in places around the world. I am definitely traveling more with LIV Golf.”

Johnson has clearly bought into the unique flavor of LIV Golf. His message to golf fans is a simple one: “If you haven’t been to an event, I invite you to come and watch. You’re going to like it. The fans who come all seem to like it and have a good time, and the more the merrier.”

The team he captains, 4Aces GC, finished top of the season-long standings in both 2022 and 2023. They also finished the 2024 season on a high, clinching second place at the Team Championship in Dallas.

2024 saw Johnson win an individual LIV Golf tournament for the third year in a row, this time in Las Vegas. He said: I knew it would be tough with the conditions and obviously a lot of really good players around the lead... I knew it was going to be a grind from start to finish.”

The competitive fire still burns strong in Johnson, and you wouldn’t bet against him continuing to be a winner in the years ahead.

Some golf wives might be slightly intimidated by the prospect of having a golfing superstar in the family. Not Dustin Johnson’s partner, Paulina.

She is the daughter of Wayne Gretzky, who is commonly regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time and is still idolized by fans across North America.

Johnson met Paulina Gretzky in 2011, but they did not officially become an item until 2013, the year in which they got engaged.

The couple’s marriage took place in Tennessee in April 2022. They have two sons: Tatum, who was born in 2015, and River, who arrived two years later.

Having a sporting legend as a father-in-law could have been daunting, but by all accounts Johnson and Wayne Gretzky have a good relationship. The hockey star even had some advice for his son-in-law in 2017.

“If I scored 50 goals in a season, I wanted 70 the next year,” he said. “If I got 70, I wanted 90. Never, ever settle… I want him to see that only he can put limits on himself.”

With a height of 6ft 4in, Dustin Johnson is one of the tallest pro golfers to be consistently successful at the highest level of the game. One key factor in that enduring success has been his long-standing deal to play with TaylorMade clubs.

He has been using TaylorMade equipment since he joined the pro ranks, and was generous in his praise for the company when he extended his deal in 2021.

As he looked back at 2020, the year in which he won the Masters, Johnson said:

“TaylorMade was right there with me each step of the way, just like they’ve been for my whole career. There isn’t a better equipment company in the game, especially the guys out on tour. I’m looking forward to being part of Team TaylorMade for a long time to come.”

So let’s answer in detail the golf fan’s perennial question: WITB? What’s in the bag?

His driver is a TaylorMade Qi10, his three-wood is a Qi10 HL, and his fairway woods are from the manufacturer’s Stealth range. As for his irons, Johnson favors the TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto models, and he uses the brand’s MG wedges.

For putting, Johnson relies on the TaylorMade SpiderTour 3.0, though he has also been known to use an L.A.B. Golf DF3. He plays with the TaylorMade TP5x ball.

Dustin Johnson has been at the top of the world of golf for many years, and his career earnings and sponsorship deals have built his earnings steadily over that time. The most recent estimation by Forbes magazine puts his net worth on a par with the game’s best. 

That figure will continue to be boosted thanks to the long-term LIV contract he signed in 2022, and to the long-term support of a long list of recognizable brands.

He is an ambassador for TaylorMade, which supplies all his golf clubs. As for his shirt and other golf gear, Extracurricular is the official apparel supplier for 4Aces – the company’s founder is Chris Rosaasen, who is also the 4Aces’ General Manager.

Johnson is also supported by exclusive watch supplier Hublot, sports beverage brand Bodyarmor, private jet supplier NetJets, and Perfect Practice, which creates golfing equipment including its putting mat. He still wears shoes from his former clothing Sponsor.

Perhaps mindful of some of his youthful struggles, Dustin Johnson has always been passionate about helping the next generation of golfers.

He established the Dustin Johnson Foundation in 2010. It offers opportunities for young people in Myrtle Beach to “learn, play and contend, ultimately giving them a competitive edge on and off the course”.

The foundation works in partnership with the DJ Golf School, located in Myrtle Beach, which offers a range of ways in which players can improve their golf game. One of the board members at the foundation is Wayne Gretzky.

That’s a powerful combination of inspirational figures for the next generation – even as Johnson, one of the greatest golfers of the current generation, continues to work to stay competitive at the highest level of the game.