Getty Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky hold hands at the Ryder Cup opening ceremony.
Just as many speculated Dustin Johnson and girlfriend Paulina Gretzky broke up, she made a surprise appearance at the Ryder Cup. Just weeks after scrubbing Johnson from her Instagram, Gretzky flew to Paris to be with Johnson for the big tournament.
The Ryder Cup is known for being well-attended by golfer’s significant others, and Gretzky did not disappoint. As the above photo shows, the couple was seen holding hands at the opening ceremony.
Here’s a look at Gretzky attending Johnson’s first 2018 Ryder Cup match along with Rickie Fowler’s fiancee, Allison Stokke.
Paulina Gretzky Attends Dustin Johnson’s Day 1 Ryder Cup Match
GettyAllison Stokke and Paulina Gretzky look on during Day 1 of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
There is also this photo of Johnson that went viral. It appears Johnson was given Instagram responsibilities for the opening dinner.
I’m not a gossip blogger, but Paulina Gretzky made the trip to Paris for the #RyderCup…and Dustin Johnson is on Instagram photographer duty.
Johnson has been connected with Yassie Safai, a golfer at Sherwood Country Club, but Safair has denied anything romantic happened between the two. Prior to the Ryder Cup, the couple had been mostly silent about their status. The speculation caused Johnson to release this statement.
“Every relationship goes through its ups and downs, but most importantly, we love each other very much and are committed to being a family. Thank you for your love and support,” Johnson said in the statement.
Either the couple is still together, or Gretzky is doing Johnson a major favor by attending the Ryder Cup. As for Johnson, he appears focused on performing well at the Ryder Cup. At his press conference before the tournament, Golf World noted he did not have a lot of words to say.
It should be noted here that Johnson was in a mood. He was playfully truculent throughout his 20 minutes on the dais, and his purposeful succinctness drew snickers.
When he was asked if he settled on a putter and a putting grip – he debuted a cross-handed method at East Lake Golf Club – his first response was one word. “Nope.”
He let the answer hang in the air before adding, “I’m going to surprise you tomorrow.”
Another beat or two elapsed. “Yeah, I’m going to putt just like I was at the Tour Championship, left-hand low, and with the same putter. No changing.”
Johnson is already off to a good start. According to The Telegraph, Johnson teamed up with Fowler to win their 4&2 matchup with Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen.
Johnson’s close relationship with Gretzky’s father, Wayne Gretzky, has been well-documented. USA Today described how her father has helped Johnson turn around his golf game.
And Johnson has credited Gretzky’s guidance and advice for his ascension up the world rankings. Johnson often picked the NHL icon’s brain and said Gretzky’s support and belief did wonders for his confidence. The two quickly became regular golf partners and talked for hours about how to handle sports fame, pressure and expectations, with Gretzky, in his mentoring ways, always stressing to never settle.
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