Dustin Johnson was born June 22, 1984 in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. His father, Scott Johnson, was the head professional golfer at the Mid Carolina Club and ran a pro shop with his wife, Kandee nee Whisnant. Born eldest of his parents’ three children, Dustin has two younger siblings; Austin and Laurie.
Dustin Johnson was introduced to golf by his father when he was six years old. Very soon, he developed a passion for the game and turned into an amateur golfer. He made it to the Irmo High School varsity team while studying at seventh grade.
After graduating from school, he entered Coastal Carolina University with Sports Management. Here he had Allen Terrell as his coach, who made sure that Dustin not only practiced hard, but also attended his classes.
Under Terrell’s guidance, Dustin Johnson began to blossom, earning All-Big South honors at the Big South Conference Championship in his freshman year. Later, he also won the Monroe Invitational and the Northeast Amateur. He also played on the winning 2007 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams.
Even when Johnson did earn that first major championship — it happened at the 2016 U.S. Open and was his 10th overall win on the PGA Tour — it came with controversy.
During the final round, on his fifth hole, Johnson’s ball moved slightly on the green as he was preparing to putt. After stepping away and speaking with the on-site rules official, Johnson was told there was no penalty and continued. However, a few holes later USGA officials approached Johnson and told him after reviewing the incident, he probably would face a penalty — but one they would not decide on until after the round. Johnson played the remainder of the final round under the cloud of not knowing exactly what his score was Johnson rendered the penalty moot, however, by shooting 69 and winning by three strokes.
