THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 22, 2020

Dustin Johnson

TPC Boston

Quick Quotes Additional

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I felt good over the ball. Felt like I was rolling it well. Obviously I made two nice ones there at the end. Obviously 18 was a real nice putt. Made a nice 15-footer on 17 which was good. All in all, feel like I'm hitting it really well. Felt like I drove the ball in the fairway and gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie.

Tomorrow, need to go out and do the same thing. Obviously the golf course, especially with the rain, it softened up so you can really attack it, and you can shoot some low scores out here. Tomorrow I need to go out with the same mind-set and play the same kind of game I have been and just play aggressive when I can. There's a few holes where you take par and keep on going.

Q. Is there something about this part of the country?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I've always liked the northeast. The golf courses are familiar from amateur golf and I've had some success. I mean, I like any golf course when I'm playing well, so it really doesn't matter.

Q. Is there any part of you that you're disappointed with a 60 and thought, you know, you need another shot at this golf course?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I mean, I played good yesterday. Played good today. Played good the first day. I really felt comfortable like with my irons. I feel like I'm controlling my distance very well. I'm hitting the shots how I want to, so especially after the rain came, the course softened up so you can really be aggressive. I hit a lot of really nice golf shots the last nine holes, and didn't roll any putts in until 17 or 18 but that's always a good time to do it.

Q. The ball-striking this week, if you can talk about the putting and the lack of putts not made, because you've given yourself a lot of different looks, the ball-striking this week has been pretty remarkable?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, like I said, the swing feels good. It felt good at the PGA, and obviously it feels really good this week. Tomorrow just need to go out and drive it in the fairway. I drove it in the fairway today. I really drove it nicely today. If I can do that tomorrow; if I can be aggressive, I'm swinging really good with the irons and I can shoot another good score. Around this golf course you can go low and I'm going to need to go low tomorrow.

Q. You have a five-stroke lead, but how much of the leaderboard will you be looking at?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, for me, it doesn't matter. I'm going to go out and shoot as low as I can. Doesn't matter what the other guys are doing. I'm just going to play my game and I'll be aggressive when I can be and be a little more conservative when I have to be.

I'm still going to have to go out and shoot a good score if I want to win.

Q. You missed only two fairways and three greens, you made over 122 feet of putts. Just how complete was this performance today?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: It was good. I played solid all around. Obviously most of those footage of putts were on the last two holes, but I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I hit a lot of quality iron shots and I've done that through the first three rounds. I feel like I'm swinging really good, and yeah, I drove it in the fairway a lot better today, so I got a lot more comfortable with the driver. I feel like I'm swinging it good, too.

It's nice when everything matches up.

Q. We hear the saying all the time, it's difficult to follow a low number with another low number. It wasn't a 60 today but 64 was pretty impressive. Did you forget about yesterday and just focus on this round?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously yesterday is gone, so today, I was just worried about shooting as low as I could again today. Honestly I didn't really think about the round at all today during the round.

It was a good day. Like I say, I was really comfortable out there, swinging good and controlled my shots and my distance really well and left myself with a lot of nice putts.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, you had a five-shot advantage, how much comfort does that give you?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, obviously I'm in a nice position, but you know, it's still a position where we're on a golf course where you can shoot really low. So I'm still going to need to go out and shoot a really good round of golf if I want to win tomorrow.

Q. Last time you had a 54-hole lead was at the PGA Championship. Is there some unfinished business you want to take care of tomorrow?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I played good at the PGA on Sunday. I can't really complain. Obviously Collin played really well on Sunday. You know, wasn't anything I could do about that. But yeah, tomorrow obviously I'm in a good position. I'm going to go out and see what I can do.