Dustin Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dustin Johnson
Johnson at the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Boston
Personal information
Full name	Dustin Hunter Johnson
Nickname	DJ
Born	(1984-06-22) June 22, 1984 (age 41) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Paulina Gretzky ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	2
Career
College	Coastal Carolina University
Turned professional	2007
Current tour(s)	LIV Golf
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	31
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	24
European Tour	9
Other	2
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2)
The Masters Tournament	Won: 2020
U.S. Open	Won: 2016
The Open Championship	T2: 2011
PGA Championship	2nd/T2: 2019, 2020
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour money list winner	2015–16
PGA Tour Player of the Year	2015–16, 2019–20
PGA Player of the Year	2016
Byron Nelson Award	2015–16, 2017–18
Vardon Trophy	2016, 2018
PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner	2020
LIV Golf Invitational Series individual points list winner	2022
LIV Golf Invitational Series money list winner	2022

Dustin Hunter Johnson (born June 22, 1984) is an American professional golfer. He has won two major golf championships. These are the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters Tournament. He also finished second in the 2011 Open Championship and the 2015 U.S. Open.

Dustin Johnson has won six World Golf Championships. Only Tiger Woods has won more. Johnson was the first golfer to win all four different World Golf Championship events. He has been playing in The LIV Golf League since 2022.

Johnson was a member of the PGA Tour until June 2022. He then joined LIV Golf. He was one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour for many years. In February 2017, Johnson became the world number one golfer. He held that spot for 64 weeks in a row. He returned to number one in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Overall, he has been number one for more than 130 weeks.

Early Life and Amateur Golf

Dustin Hunter Johnson was born on June 22, 1984. He grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He played college golf at Coastal Carolina University. There, he studied Sports Management.

As an amateur golfer, he won the Monroe Invitational and the Northeast Amateur in 2007. He was also part of the winning 2007 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams.

Becoming a Professional Golfer

Johnson became a professional golfer in late 2007. He earned his spot on the PGA Tour for 2008. He did this by finishing well at the 2007 qualifying school.

Early Wins

In October 2008, Johnson won his first PGA Tour event. It was the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Four months later, he won his second event. This was the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. This tournament was shorter due to bad weather.

At the 2009 Masters Tournament, Johnson made history. He was only the second person to get an eagle on two holes in a row. He finished the 2009 season ranked 15th in earnings on the PGA Tour.

In February 2010, Johnson won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am again. He beat David Duval and J. B. Holmes by one shot.

Major Championship Challenges

Johnson had a tough time at the 2010 U.S. Open. He led by three shots going into the final day. But he shot a high score of 82 and finished tied for eighth.

At the 2010 PGA Championship, Johnson was leading on the final hole. He got a two-stroke penalty for touching his club in a sand bunker. This dropped him out of the lead.

Johnson finally broke his streak of bad luck in September 2010. He won the BMW Championship. This was his fourth PGA Tour win. He finished the 2010 season ranked 4th in PGA Tour earnings.

2011: A Strong Year

Johnson at the 2011 U.S. Open

In March 2011, Johnson finished second at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

In July, he had his best finish in a major championship at the 2011 Open Championship in England. He tied for second place. He also made a hole in one on the 16th hole in the first round. This result moved him to seventh in the world rankings.

Johnson won his fifth PGA Tour title at The Barclays in 2011. This tournament was also shortened to 54 holes because of Hurricane Irene. This win moved him to a career-high of 4th in the world rankings.

2012–2013: More Victories

Johnson had a back injury in March 2012. He missed over two months of the season. He returned in May and won his sixth tour event, the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

He started his 2013 season with a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. This event was also shortened to 54 holes due to strong winds. This was Johnson's seventh PGA Tour win. In November, Johnson won the WGC-HSBC Champions. He was the first player since Tiger Woods to win at least once in each of his first seven seasons.

2014: Taking Time Off

On July 31, 2014, Johnson announced he was taking the rest of the season off. He said he needed to get professional help for personal reasons.

2015: Back in Action

Johnson returned to the tour in February 2015. He quickly had two top-five finishes. In March, he won the WGC-Cadillac Championship. This win moved him to 7th in the world rankings.

At the 2015 U.S. Open, Johnson was tied for the lead going into the final round. He had a chance to win on the last hole but missed a short putt. Jordan Spieth won the title.

2016: First Major Win

Johnson after winning the 2016 U.S. Open

Johnson won the 2016 U.S. Open on June 19, 2016. This was his first major championship title. There was some debate during the final round. His ball moved slightly on the fifth green. Officials gave him a one-shot penalty after his round finished. But he still won by three strokes. Many other top golfers criticized the decision.

Johnson won his third tournament of the year, the BMW Championship, in September 2016. He finished the season as the top money winner on the PGA Tour. He also had the lowest scoring average. He won both the PGA Player of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year awards.

2017: World Number One

Johnson at the 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his father-in-law Wayne Gretzky can be seen in the background to the right.

In February 2017, Johnson won the Genesis Open. This win made him the number one golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking. He joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win a title in each of their first 10 seasons on the PGA Tour.

In March, Johnson won the WGC-Mexico Championship. This was his fourth World Golf Championship title. Three weeks later, he won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. This made him the first player to win all four different WGC crowns.

Before the 2017 Masters Tournament, Johnson had a back injury. He had to withdraw from the event. In August, Johnson won The Northern Trust. This was his 16th Tour title and his fourth win of the season.

2018: More Success

In January 2018, Johnson won the Sentry Tournament of Champions for the second time. This meant he had won a title in his first 11 straight seasons on the PGA Tour. In June, Johnson won the FedEx St. Jude Classic for the second time. This win helped him get back to the Number 1 world ranking.

In July 2018, Johnson won his third tournament of the season. He won the RBC Canadian Open. In September 2018, Johnson played for the U.S. team in the 2018 Ryder Cup. The U.S. team lost to Europe.

2019: European Tour and Major Runner-Up

In February 2019, Johnson won the Saudi International on the European Tour. This was his sixth European Tour title. Later that month, Johnson won the WGC-Mexico Championship for the third time. This was his 20th career PGA Tour win.

In April 2019, Johnson finished tied for second at the Masters Tournament. He was just one shot behind Tiger Woods. The next month, he finished second at the PGA Championship. This made him the eighth person to have finished runner-up in all four major championships. In December 2019, Johnson played on the U.S. team at the 2019 Presidents Cup. The U.S. team won.

2020: Masters Champion and FedEx Cup Winner

On June 27, Johnson had his lowest round ever on the PGA Tour. He shot a 61 at the Travelers Championship. He went on to win the tournament.

In August, Johnson finished tied for second at the 2020 PGA Championship. Two weeks later, Johnson won The Northern Trust by a huge margin of eleven strokes. He also shot a career-low round of 60. This win moved him back to number one in the world rankings.

On September 7, Johnson won the Tour Championship and the $15 million FedEx Cup. He was later voted the 2020 PGA Tour Player of the Year for the second time.

On November 15, Johnson won the Masters Tournament by five strokes. He set a new record with a score of 20 under par. This was his second major championship victory. It was also his 24th official win on the PGA Tour. This win extended his streak of winning at least one tournament every season to 14 years.

2021: Ryder Cup Hero

On February 7, Johnson won the Saudi International for the second time. This was his 9th win on the European Tour.

In September 2021, Johnson played on the U.S. team in the 2021 Ryder Cup. The U.S. team won 19–9. Johnson won all five of his matches. He also won the first-ever Nicklaus-Jacklin Award. This award is for the player who shows great teamwork and sportsmanship at the Ryder Cup.

2022: Joining LIV Golf

Dustin Johnson hoists the championship trophy following his victory in the LIV Golf Invitational Boston at The International Golf Club in Bolton, MA.

In May 2022, it was announced that Johnson would play in the new LIV Golf Invitational Series. This series is sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. After this news, RBC ended their sponsorship of Johnson. The PGA Tour said that golfers would have to choose between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. Johnson announced he was leaving the PGA Tour on June 7. The PGA Tour then said that all players who joined LIV Golf, including Johnson, could not play in PGA Tour events.

On the first season of the LIV Golf Tour, Johnson played for 4 Aces GC. His team won four tournaments in a row. Johnson won the LIV Golf Invitational Boston on September 5, 2022. He won in a playoff by making an eagle on the 18th hole.

Personal Life

In August 2013, Johnson got engaged to Paulina Gretzky. She is a model and singer. Her father is the famous Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky. Johnson and Gretzky met in 2009. They started dating in early 2013. They got married on April 23, 2022, in Tennessee. They have two sons.

Johnson appeared in the sports documentary series Full Swing on Netflix. He also started a non-profit organization called the Dustin Johnson Foundation. It helps young people learn about and play golf.

Amateur Wins

• 2007 Monroe Invitational, Northeast Amateur

Professional Wins (31)

PGA Tour Wins (24)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 5, 2008	Turning Stone Resort Championship	72-68-70-69=279	−9	1 stroke	Robert Allenby
2	Feb 15, 2009	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	65-69-67=201*	−15	4 strokes	Mike Weir
3	Feb 14, 2010	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2)	64-68-64-74=270	−16	1 stroke	David Duval, J. B. Holmes
4	Sep 12, 2010	BMW Championship	68-70-68-69=275	−9	1 stroke	Paul Casey
5	Aug 27, 2011	The Barclays	66-63-65=194*	−19	2 strokes	Matt Kuchar
6	Jun 10, 2012	FedEx St. Jude Classic	70-68-67-66=271	−9	1 stroke	John Merrick
7	Jan 8, 2013	Hyundai Tournament of Champions	69-66-68=203*	−16	4 strokes	Steve Stricker
8	Nov 3, 2013	WGC-HSBC Champions	69-63-66-66=264	−24	3 strokes	Ian Poulter
9	Mar 8, 2015	WGC-Cadillac Championship	68-73-69-69=279	−9	1 stroke	J. B. Holmes
10	Jun 19, 2016	U.S. Open	67-69-71-69=276	−4	3 strokes	Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry, Scott Piercy
11	Jul 3, 2016	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	69-73-66-66=274	−6	1 stroke	Scott Piercy
12	Sep 11, 2016	BMW Championship (2)	67-63-68-67=265	−23	3 strokes	Paul Casey
13	Feb 19, 2017	Genesis Open	66-66-64-71=267	−17	5 strokes	Scott Brown, Thomas Pieters
14	Mar 5, 2017	WGC-Mexico Championship (2)	70-66-66-68=270	−14	1 stroke	Tommy Fleetwood
15	Mar 26, 2017	WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play	1 up			Jon Rahm
16	Aug 27, 2017	The Northern Trust (2)	65-69-67-66=267	−13	Playoff	Jordan Spieth
17	Jan 7, 2018	Sentry Tournament of Champions (2)	69-68-66-65=268	−24	8 strokes	Jon Rahm
18	Jun 10, 2018	FedEx St. Jude Classic (2)	67-63-65-66=261	−19	6 strokes	Andrew Putnam
19	Jul 29, 2018	RBC Canadian Open	68-66-65-66=265	−23	3 strokes	An Byeong-hun, Kim Meen-whee
20	Feb 24, 2019	WGC-Mexico Championship (3)	64-67-66-66=263	−21	5 strokes	Rory McIlroy
21	Jun 28, 2020	Travelers Championship	69-64-61-67=261	−19	1 stroke	Kevin Streelman
22	Aug 23, 2020	The Northern Trust (3)	67-60-64-63=254	−30	11 strokes	Harris English
23	Sep 7, 2020	Tour Championship	67-70-64-68=269	−211	3 strokes	Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas
24	Nov 15, 2020	Masters Tournament	65-70-65-68=268	−20	5 strokes	Im Sung-jae, Cameron Smith

*Note: Tournament shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
¹Started tournament at −10 FedEx Cup playoffs adjustment, scored −11 to par.

European Tour Wins (9)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Nov 3, 2013	WGC-HSBC Champions	69-63-66-66=264	−24	3 strokes	Ian Poulter
2	Mar 8, 2015	WGC-Cadillac Championship	68-73-69-69=279	−9	1 stroke	J. B. Holmes
3	Jun 19, 2016	U.S. Open	67-69-71-69=276	−4	3 strokes	Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry, Scott Piercy
4	Mar 5, 2017	WGC-Mexico Championship (2)	70-66-66-68=270	−14	1 stroke	Tommy Fleetwood
5	Mar 26, 2017	WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play	1 up			Jon Rahm
6	Feb 3, 2019	Saudi International	68-61-65-67=261	−19	2 strokes	Li Haotong
7	Feb 24, 2019	WGC-Mexico Championship (3)	64-67-66-66=263	−21	5 strokes	Rory McIlroy
8	Nov 15, 2020	Masters Tournament	65-70-65-68=268	−20	5 strokes	Im Sung-jae, Cameron Smith
9	Feb 7, 2021	Saudi International (2)	67-64-66-68=265	−15	2 strokes	Tony Finau, Justin Rose

LIV Golf League Wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Sep 4, 2022	LIV Golf Invitational Boston	−15 (67-63-65=195)	Playoff	Anirban Lahiri, Joaquín Niemann
2	May 14, 2023	LIV Golf Tulsa	−17 (63-63-67=193)	Playoff	Branden Grace, Cameron Smith
3	Feb 10, 2024	LIV Golf Las Vegas	−12 (67-62-69=198)	1 stroke	Talor Gooch, Peter Uihlein

Other Wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Dec 12, 2010	Shark Shootout (with Ian Poulter)	63-64-59=186	−30	2 strokes	Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell
2	May 17, 2020	TaylorMade Driving Relief (with Rory McIlroy)	$1,850,000		$700,000	Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff

Major Championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2016	U.S. Open	4 shot deficit	−4 (67-69-71-69=276)	3 strokes	Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry, Scott Piercy
2020	Masters Tournament	4 shot lead	−20 (65-70-65-68=268)	5 strokes	Im Sung-jae, Cameron Smith

Summary

World Golf Championships

Wins (6)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2013	WGC-HSBC Champions	3 shot lead	−24 (69-63-66-66=264)	3 strokes	Ian Poulter
2015	WGC-Cadillac Championship	5 shot deficit	−9 (68-73-69-69=279)	1 stroke	J. B. Holmes
2016	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	3 shot deficit	−6 (69-73-66-66=274)	1 stroke	Scott Piercy
2017	WGC-Mexico Championship (2)	1 shot deficit	−14 (70-66-66-68=270)	1 stroke	Tommy Fleetwood
2017	WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play	n/a	1 up		Jon Rahm
2019	WGC-Mexico Championship (3)	4 shot lead	−21 (64-67-66-66=263)	5 strokes	Rory McIlroy

U.S. National Team Appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 2007 (winners)
• Palmer Cup: 2007 (winners)

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 2010, 2012, 2016 (winners), 2018, 2021 (winners)
• Presidents Cup: 2011 (winners), 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners), 2019 (winners)
• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 2010 (winners)

Images for kids

• 

  Johnson at the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Boston

• 

  Johnson at the 2011 U.S. Open

• 

  Johnson after winning the 2016 U.S. Open

• 

  Johnson at the 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with his father-in-law Wayne Gretzky

• 

  Dustin Johnson hoists the championship trophy after winning the LIV Golf Invitational Boston

See also

In Spanish: Dustin Johnson para niños