I’llhaveSymeoflifeinSilverMedalbid
I’ll miss being with my baby son at Birkdale but seeing him on FaceTime can inspire me to glory
FAMILY guy Dustin Johnson says FaceTime at night can give him fab days at The Open.
The world No.1 has swapped pampers for putters at Royal Birkdale having been separated from his newborn son to head to Southport.
Johnson has not hit the heights on the course recently but has still been on a high at home after missus Paulina gave birth to River Jones five weeks ago.
The 33-year-old isn’t exactly happy to be away from the wee one as he hunts the big one.
But Johnson insists it’s easier to cope thanks to modern technology and evening sessions on his mobile with River Jones and big brother Tatum will inspire him to hit the Open heights.
He said: “My new son is only five weeks old. He’s at home with mom and he’s doing well, healthy. Everybody is happy. He’s doing really well and it’s been very exciting. It’s a lot of fun.
“Definitely the second one is easier than the first one, you are not quite as nervous when you’re bringing them home from the hospital. With FaceTime and the things we’ve got now it’s pretty easy to keep in touch and to kind of feel like you’re almost there.
“I miss the family but it’s part of the job. I get over here though and we’re on a different time zone. Even at home I’m at the golf course all day so it’s not too bad because at night you can FaceTime and stuff so it’s pretty easy.”
Johnson heads into Birkdale with CONNOR SYME is hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous top amateurs at Royal Birkdale. The Scottish kid will tee it up for an Open debut at a venue that has thrown up some big stories in the Silver Medal chase. Back in extra incentive to justify his No.1 status. The American has enjoyed a good year with three wins yet the Majors have been a massive letdown.
Favourite on the eve of Augusta in April, Johnson’s Masters hopes dramatically tumbled down the stairs with him the night before tee-off and he had to pull out of the event with a back injury sustained in the fall.
At last month’s US Open he missed the cut after a dismal two days at Erin Hills. Some of his anguish was eased as his mate Brooks Koepka won.
Johnson said: “Brooks had a good couple of weeks but there was nothing for me to celebrate. I’ve been working pretty hard the last month.
“He had a few weeks off which was well deserved but he’s back on it now. A lot of times we work out. We live pretty close to each other and train at the same gym – but I usually get to the gym a little bit earlier than he does!”
Johnson believes he’s getting back into the zone for Birkdale bang on cue to emulate Koepka’s win this week and said: “I feel like the game is starting to get back to what it was.
“I’m definitely hitting it a lot better and I feel like the putter is starting to roll a little bit better. That was really the only thing at Muirfield, at Jack’s 1998, Justin Rose announced himself on the biggest stage with a sensational performance and turned professional the following week.
Chris Wood did the same a decade later and 22-year-old Syme feels he can also do something special in Southport.
He said: “There have been a good few guys over the years who have done well as tournament and at the US Open. After the injury at Augusta I spent a lot of time working on my swing and kind of not much time working on the short game. That was not by design but just kind of how it went.
“Getting injured definitely sucked that’s for sure. But things happen. Obviously I’ve had quite a few things happen to myself. It’s nothing new.
“This is my first time here but I got over early on Saturday and had a lot of practise on the course. I feel like it sets up well for me. It’s like any Open Championship venue, you’ve just got to control your golf ball. If you can do DUSTIN JOHNSON amateurs at The Open. It’s a special week.
“I’ve seen the Rose shot plenty of times since. It was an unbelievable shot.
“Ask any amateur and they’ll all tell you they’re striving to win the Silver Medal.
“That’s not an unrealistic goal for any of us. Winning the Silver Medal is the target.”
Syme will play with John that you can get around here and shoot some good scores.”
Having a track that fits his eye is ideal for Johnson because despite his lofty ranking he’ll need every advantage going with the tournament wide open.
His Open record is good with five top-20 finishes in eight outings including a runner-up finish in 2011 when he should have won.
Johnson knows winning this week is a tough task and that his No.1 rating counts for virtually zero.
He said: “I think I do okay. I don’t really know. You all will be the judge of that. But as far as my opinion goes I think I do a pretty good job.
“I think golf is in a really good spot right now. The young guys are so good. The talent level is very high and it’s very exciting every week. The talent is so good from one to 50 in the world that it’s hard to be that dominant.
“If you look at tennis the top 50th guy in the world is probably not going to win a major championship, whereas a guy here in the top 50 has a really good shot.
“Winning here would be just as good as the US Open win for sure. It’s definitely one I feel like I play well over here. I like this kind of golf.
“Winning this would definitely mean a lot and it would be just as good as any of my other wins.” Daly in today’s opening round and has also enjoyed the company of Paul Lawrie for his practice rounds.
The kid also partnered local hero Tommy Fleetwood at one stage and said: “I played nine holes with him on Monday and he was a really nice guy.
“There’s a lot of strategy needed on this course. You’re always on your toes here.”