A look at how Wayne Gretzky helped Dustin Johnson become the world’s best golfer

November 18, 2021   Uncategorized     No comments

From the outside looking in, you would think that Dustin Johnson’s relationship with Wayne Gretzky could be a difficult one at times given that Johnson is engaged to Gretzky’s daughter, Paulina. Perhaps there is a degree of stereotyping all relationships between in-laws and the people who marry their children by saying that but more often than not, grievances do arise somewhere along the way. Now, when you consider that Gretzky is arguably the greatest ice hockey player of all time and Dustin Johnson is one of the modern-day greats on the golf course, it seems a certainty that the two would clash in a bid to prove who the alpha male was given how successful they both are.

That scenario, however, couldn’t be further from the truth though as Gretzky and Johnson are good friends who actively look to spend time together. Johnson even wore an Edmonton Oilers jersey during the Canadian Open with Gretzky 99 on his back in 2018 which goes to show how much he idolizes his father-in-law. They’ve even been seen watching games together at Rogers Place and both will be hoping that the Oilers can win the 2022 Stanley Cup but at 12/1 in the most recent NHL betting odds to do so, you would have to say their chances are slim.

Irrespective of whether Gretzky’s old team wins any silverware this season, their friendship is in actual fact quite a heartwarming story and there would be many a son-in-law out there who would love their father-in-law to speak about them the way Gretzky does about Johnson.

“He never gets flustered, very easy going, extremely polite and very considerate. He was a joy to be around right from day one”. Praise from a father-in-law doesn’t get much higher than that and you have to admire Gretzky for making such an effort with Johnson, to the extent that the 37-year-old has become a better golfer.


Indeed, having Gretzky in the inner circle has seen DJ rise to the number one ranked golfer in the world as well as becoming a multiple major winner. Of course, Gretzky does everything in his power to protest this idea that Johnson’s success can be attributed to him in any way which goes to show how humble the former Edmonton Oilers player is.

Of course, the 60-year-old probably does have a very valid point nevertheless as Johnson was a PGA Tour professional before he met Gretzky, but there is a notable upward trajectory in Johnson’s career since the two began spending time together.

Certainly, having the brain of one of the all-time great athletes of any sport to call on when you need some advice does make a player begin to feel less like an imposter in their own realm, which is perhaps how Johnson felt at times, especially after a disastrous US Open showing six years ago.

Indeed, Johnson had been guilty of one of the greatest chokes in major history when he three-putted from 12 feet at Chambers Bay to throw away the opportunity to win the US Open in 2015 in Washington.


The South Carolina native went away distraught but with the help and support of Gretzky, he came back the following year and won the 2016 US Open. The floodgates had been opened and Johnson would go on to the Masters in 2020.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the role that Wayne Gretzky has had in Dustin Johnson’s life has seen the golfer reach the upper echelons of the game.


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