Defending champ: New AT&T course playing 'really long'

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Dustin Johnson may have had a bit of an edge when he came to play in his first AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am three years ago.

"I actually knew the course pretty well from the video game," he explained with a grin.

Dustin Johnson

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Turns out, Johnson's reality was better than the virtual kind when he won the rain-shortened event last year. The victory was the second of the big-hitting 25-year-old's short but solid PGA TOUR career.

The laid-back Johnson plays with a friend of his from Charleston, S.C., each year so "I actually look forward to it." The long rounds don't bother him, and with this year's smaller field, the pace of play should improve considerably.

"I really like this place," said Johnson, who puts Pebble Beach with Augusta National and Royal County Down among his favorite courses. "... It's a fun little town. And the golf courses are some of the greatest in the world."

Johnson met with the media on Tuesday shortly after playing a practice round at the 6,900-yard, par-70 Monterey Peninsula Country Club, which replaces Poppy Hills in the three-course rotation this year.

"It was playing really long," Johnson reported. "I was the only one who got (to the 16th) in two and it's a par 4."

And for the record, Johnson's playing partners weren't exactly short-knockers. He played with Jeff Overton, Matt Every and Spencer Levin.

Johnson comes to Pebble Beach with momentum, too. He was more than respectable in his first two starts, tying for 16th, and then shared third on Sunday at the rain-plagued Northern Trust Open.

Johnson had an ace and was three shots off the lead entering the third round at Riviera, but struggled on Saturday, shooting 74. He followed with a sterling 66 on Sunday, but Steve Stricker had built too big of a lead and was just too steady.

The rainy weather in Los Angeles admittedly may have been good preparation for the normally damp, cool conditions on the Monterey Peninsula. And his good play -- at least for three of the four rounds -- was another plus.

"Each week is its own week," Johnson said. "You can't look ahead, but it definitely helps with your confidence."