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via Imago

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Dustin Johnson is a name that every golf enthusiast is familiar with. The two-time major winner was able to dub himself as the best in the sport at a point in time owing to his exceptional skills on the course. Including his victories at the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters Tournament, the professional has under his belt a total of 30 professional wins.

But in a surprise turn of events, Johnson joined the LIV Golf in 2022 and earned accolades at the Saudi-backed circuit as well. Nevertheless, any kind of triumph is not the work of a single person. DJ has found his support pillars in a group of special people. Let us take a look at the lovely group of family that showers the pro with affection.

Meet Dustin Johnson’s parents and family

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Johnson was born to Kandee Johnson and Scott Johnson on 22 June 1984. The couple gave birth to the golfer in Columbia, South Carolina where he spent his younger years growing up. Although the couple had another two children, a son and a daughter named Austin and Laurie respectively, they divorced in the late 1990s and have not been on speaking terms since. Following this, ‘DJ’ and his sister started to live with their father after the separation.

But, if one were to question where he got his athletic side from, look no further than his parents. The 24X PGA Tour champ’s father was an athlete, or more specifically, an all-state wide receiver at South Carolina’s Chapin High. Although the Dad had an opportunity to play collegiate football, an accident involving his arm stopped his career short, turning his attention to another sport, golf.

Scott Johnson quickly became an advanced player in the game and became the head pro at the Mid-Carolina Club outside of Columbia. Well, one can guess from where the current LIV golfer got his interest in the game. Unfortunately, he lost his job in a dispute with the club and has since run a business detailing the sides of delivery trucks.

USA Today via Reuters

Even the professional’s mother’s side had her own share of athletic DNA as Kandee’s father Art Whisnant was a basketball player for South Carolina. The athlete garnered the first-team All-Conference honors in 1962 following which he became an NBA draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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But the support he received did not stop with his parents. The famous 2020 win at the Masters Tournament was assisted by none other than Austin Johnson, his brother who carried the bags for the golfer. Now let us take a look at the other woman in his life, the professional’s wife!

Meet Johnson’s wife, Paulina Gretzky

Paulina Gretzky is the first child and daughter of a legend in the sport of Hockey, Wayne Gretzky. She is a model and an actress, starring in many films including Grown Ups 2, Fame, and Guns, Girls, and Gambling. Moreover, the 34-year-old has also excelled in the field of songwriting and singing, holding various record deals and accolades. The American beauty, in 2014, was listed as the 59th most desirable woman, as per AskMen.

The couple met each other in 2009, but only started dating officially by 2013 following which they soon got engaged. The duo had their first son in 2015 whom they named Tatum followed by River, his brother. And, finally, the lovebirds exchanged their vows in Tennessee, at the Blackberry Farm.

The golfer has been very expressive of his love for the family as he once said, “For me, golf was always the most important thing. And now, it’s Paulina and the kids.” The actress has also been very supportive of her husband as she has been frequently spotted on the golf course to cheer him on. Since we looked into the golfer’s wife, it does make one curious to know more about his relationship with his father-in-law.

Dustin Johnson and his father-in-law Wayne Gretzky

The relationship between the two athletes is very inspiring. The father-in-law has grown very close with the golfer since he started dating the NHL legend’s daughter. However, Gretzky has exercised some form of tough love on the professional at times, especially before his marriage asking him to take a hold of his life if he wanted to continue dating the actress. He has managed to constantly push the golfer to make him a better version of himself.

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A post shared by Wayne Gretzky (@waynegretzky)

He once told Golf Magazine in 2017, “Never, ever settle. I’ve told Dustin he has to be more like Tiger. I don’t mean he has to be Tiger — you only get a few athletes like that a century. But part of what made Tiger Tiger was relentlessness.”

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Well, it makes sense for DJ to make it this far with the talent and the amount of support that he had received from his special people over the years. Moreover. one does have to agree with  Gretzky’s words that Johnson still has a long way ahead of him.

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