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The last year has been a wild roller-coaster ride for Dustin Johnson.
At the end of the 2014, the 30-year-old had to step away from the PGA Tour amid rumors of a failed drug test. Since his return, his fiance—the daughter of the greatest hockey player ever, by the way—has given birth to his first son, he has climbed to No. 4 in the world golf rankings, and he’s in contention for his first major win at the Open Championship.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about DJ.
1. He Has 9 PGA Tour Wins
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Johnson, who played golf at Coastal Carolina University, earned his first PGA Tour win at the Turning Stone Resort Championship in 2008 when he was 24 years old.
When he won the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in 2013, he became the first golfer since Tiger Woods to earn victories in each of his first seven years on tour as a professional.
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2. He Has 9 Top-10 Finishes at Majors
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Long one of the steadiest and most consistent players on Tour, Johnson is always a threat at majors. Going back to his first appearance at the 2008 US Open, he has played in 25 major events prior to the 2015 Open Championship. In those events, he has missed the cut just four times and finished in the top-10 nine times.
There’s only problem. He has yet to win the big one. Johnson finished second at the 2011 Open Championship, fourth at the 2014 US Open and sixth at Augusta this year.
The worst of those defeats, of course, came at Chambers Bay in June, when he three-putted on the 72nd hole to lose to Jordan Spieth by a single stroke.
3. He Is Engaged to Paulina Gretzky
(Instagram/paulinagretzky)
Gretzky, the daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, has done work as a model, singer and actress. She has always been famous as the daughter of “The Great One,” but she soared in popularity over the last couple of years due to her presence on social media.
Johnson started dating the now 26-year-old in early 2013, and they were engaged in August of that year. They have yet to marry, but they had a son, Tatum, together in January of this year.
“You know, Paulina and Tatum were waiting for me when I got done,” Johnson said after winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March. “That was the best part of the day for sure.”
4. He Left the Tour for 6 Months at the end of 2014
(Instagram/paulinagretzky)
Johnson became stooped in controversy during the second half of 2014 when he announced he was taking a leave of absence from the PGA Tour to “seek professional help for personal challenges.”
Rumors immediately began to fly. Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger and Mike Walker cited sources saying Johnson had failed a test for cocaine, while FOX Sports’ Robert Lusetich reported Johnson had affairs with the wives of two PGA Tour players.
Fortunately, Johnson, who said he never failed any drug tests, came back at the start of 2014 with a rejuvenated outlook on life:
I definitely feel different. I’m a father now, so that’s been the best thing that’s happened this year. You know, couldn’t be in a better place right now in my life. I feel like my golf game’s really good. My personal life’s doing great. Yeah, I definitely feel different.
5. He Has a Huge Drive
Johnson is an athletic specimen. At 6’4″ and 190 pounds of muscle, he has immense physical gifts and could probably play any sport if wants to. But he plays golf, and he is easily one of the best athletes on Tour.
That is never more clear than when he is teeing off. Entering the week, Johnson ranked first on Tour with an average driving distance of 317.6 yards. The next closer player is Charlie Beljan, whose average is a full 10 yards behind.
In other words, he is crazy strong.