Last Updated on February 25, 2024
Who Is Dustin Johnson?
Dustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour. He’s best known for winning two men’s major golf championships, namely the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters Tournament. He won the former tournament with a 4-under-par score of 276 and the latter with a historic score of 268, 20-under-par.
Besides winning two major golf championships, Dustin Johnson is also noted for finishing in a tie for second at the 2011 Open Championship as well as at the 2015 U.S. Open. Johnson has bagged six World Golf Championships victories throughout his professional golf career, coming only second to the legendary Tiger Woods. His other notable achievement includes being the first golfer ever to win each of the four World Golf Championship events.
Johnson also won the 2020 Travelers Championship, becoming the third player in PGA Tour history to bag a Tour title in each of his first thirteen seasons. The other two include Tiger Woods with 14 wins and Jack Nicklaus with 17.
In terms of overall rankings, Dustin Johnson was considered the number-one ranked golfer on the planet for a total period of 64 weeks starting from 2017.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Dustin Hunter Johnson |
Popular Name: | Dustin Johnson |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | June 22, 1984 |
Age: | 38 years |
Parents: | Scott Johnson and Kandee Johnson |
Siblings: | Austin Johnson and Laurie Johnson |
Birth Place: | Columbia, South Carolina |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | White |
Education: | Dutch Fork High School and Coastal Carolina University |
Marital Status: | Married |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | Paulina Gretzky |
Children: | River Jones Johnson and Tatum Gretzky Johnson (with Paulina Gretzky) |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | USD 50 million |
Source of Wealth: | Professional Golf Playing, Endorsement Deals, and Other Ventures |
Height: | 6′ 4″ (1.93 m) |
Weight: | 86 kg; In pounds: 190 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Achievement
Dustin Johnson was born on June 22, 1984, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Scott Johnson and Kandee Johnson. Johnson played collegiate golf at Coastal Carolina University. As an amateur, he’s credited for winning the Monroe Invitational as well as the Northeast Amateur in 2007. His other notable amateur achievements include playing on the winning 2007 Walker Cup and the Palmer Cup teams.
Dustin Johnson eventually turned professional in 2007, when he was only 23 years old. A few months later, he earned his PGA Tour card and went on to win the Turning Stone Resort Championship during his debut year on the Tour. Johnson soon followed up his first professional victory with a second one at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. By the end of 2009 season, he finished #15 in PGA Tour rankings in terms of money winnings.
In 2010, Dustin defended his AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am title by winning against former world #1 David Duval. By the end of the year, he was now ranked fourth on PGA Tour’s money rankings.
In 2011, Johnson finished tied for second place at the 2011 Open Championship in England. The same year, he won another PGA Tour title at The Barclays.
Dustin’s career suffered a major setback in 2012 due to a back injury that put him out of action for two months. However, he bounced back in 2013 with a win at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Johnson took a break from golf in 2015 to seek help from what he termed ‘personal challenges.’ He came back to the course in 2015 and displayed exceptional performance that saw him return to the top 15 in the world rankings.
The following are other major events and titles won by Dustin Johnson:
• The Genesis Open in 2017
• The Saudi International and the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2019
• The Travelers Championship in 2020
• The Saudi International in 2021
Dustin Johnson’s Net Worth
Dustin Johnson is considered one of the highest-paid golfers on the planet. As of the time of writing, he has earned at least $70 million in tournament prize money alone. The additional $15 million he won at the 2020 FedEx Cup title makes him the third highest-earning golfer of all time, coming only after Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
As of 2023, Dustin Johnson had a net worth of $50 million. Like most golfers, the bulk of Johnson’s wealth comes from tournament prize money and endorsement deals.
But while he’s ranked the third highest-earning golfer of all time, Johnson’s net worth still pales in comparison to that of Tiger Woods. For comparison’s sake, Woods has a net worth of $900 million, with up to $50 million annual earnings from golf playing and endorsements.
Lessons from Dustin Johnson
1. The road to success is paved with failure and setbacks
Dustin Johnson is undeniably one of the most accomplished golfers of all time. But his rise to the top hasn’t been without its challenges. He has suffered multiple injuries, some of which threatened to put him out of action for good.
2. Work-life balance is a crucial success ingredient
In 2014, Johnson took a break from golfing, ostensibly to seek help for personal challenges. This only goes to show that our private life can suffer if we focus solely on professional achievements.
3. You win some, you lose some
Dustin Johnson’s golfing career is a story of wins and losses. But what stands out is not how he celebrates his successes. Rather, it’s how positively he embraces his failures.
Famous Quotes by Dustin Johnson
• Golf is a weird sport. Some days you got it. Some days you don’t.
• I always knew I wanted to play golf and go to college. I try hard to be a positive role model, especially on the golf course. I try to carry myself well, and don’t do anything outrageous. I try to play the game like a gentleman and give everyone respect. That’s how the game should be played.
• Just when you feel like you get on top, something happens that knocks you down.
• Telling me that I can’t do something is probably the worst thing that anyone can say, because I’ll definitely do it. I’m very determined.
• You still just got to play your game. No matter where you’re at, you’ve got to play your game, especially in majors. When you try to push and try to make things happen, that’s when you can make some big numbers at the majors.
Conclusion
Dustin Johnson has won and broken numerous records in golf. Going by his current form, it’s safe to conclude that we can expect more of him moving forward.