Dustin Johnson jokingly hints wife caused back injury

Dustin Johnson left fans making their own interpretations over his recent back injury in an awkward exchange before the PGA Championship.

Johnson hinted that the latest back issue he suffered from earlier this season came following a bedroom incident with his wife Paulina Gretzky.

The two-time major champion withdrew from February’s Saudi International with back trouble, but is now back in prime condition following last week’s dramatic play-off victory at LIV Golf Tulsa.

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And in his pre-tournament press conference, Johnson joked about the cause of his injury – which was originally reported as being aggravated in a practice round.

“Just pulled a muscle in my lower back,” he said, explaining the problem, before an inquisitive reporter responded: “Swinging a club or lifting up a kid?”

“Yeah, lifting up a kid, just a bigger kid,” Johnson replied, with his subsequent laughter telling the whole story.

DJ with an amusing explanation for his back injury earlier this year pic.twitter.com/oQVcQMPza1

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) May 17, 2023

Johnson and Gretzky, the daughter of iconic hockey player Wayne, married last April and have two sons together.

And Johnson’s brief setback in February was not the first time that he was struggled with back problems.

He famously pulled out of The Masters in 2017 after reportedly taking a serious fall at an Augusta rental home on the eve of the tournament.

But a fit and firing Johnson is unsurprisingly among the favourites to claim his third major title this week at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester.

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He is one of 18 LIV golfers in the 156-man field in upstate New York and is relishing the Oak Hill challenge after his second individual triumph on the Saudi-backed circuit.

“My last couple events, it’s kind of been trending in the right direction,” he said. “I did everything really nicely last week and had a couple good practice days here.

“I’m really looking forward to the test that this golf course is going to provide this week. You want every part of your game working well playing this golf course and the conditions that it’s in right now.”