Dustin Johnson and his wife Paulina Gretzky went through a difficult time after the American pro stunningly defected from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022.
The model appears in the second season of the Netflix golf docuseries, “Full Swing,” which follows the sport’s biggest names, including Johnson — and explains how their family got death threats after the 4Aces GC captain was paid a reported $125 million to defect to Greg Norman’s rival league.
“People sending death threats and awful, awful, awful things,” Gretzky said while sitting outside at the couple’s home in West Palm Beach. “People were aggressive that’s for sure. But that’s when I shut it down for a little bit. I was like I don’t need to look at this. Everyone has an opinion on it. Fine.”
Netflix featured a number of comments on social media that included death threats aimed at the 39-year-old Johnson and his family.
Despite the tough time, Gretzky explained why she’s happier now that she’s not “taking a back seat” to the couple’s “old life” on the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf has a much lighter schedule than the PGA and was one of the motivating factors for Johnson when he became the first top player to defect.
“We have a little bit more time together now since things have changed a little, whereas before, it was like, go go go,” Gretzky said.
“We have more control now of how we do things. That old life that we had, I had to take a backseat, but now it feels like we’re in the front of the plane together flying. It was the right move.”
docuseries, “Full Swing.” Netflix
Johnson — a Masters and U.S. Open champion — landed a reported $125 million, four-year contract to defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in June 2022.
He earned more than $35 million in winnings in his first year with LIV Golf.
“Dustin Johnson took the money. He got 150 million,” said golf journalist Dan Rapaport, who was interviewed for the docuseries. “He seems to be living his very best life and it’s just not anymore complex than that.”
Johnson made around $75 million in 15 years on the PGA Tour, according to The Palm Beach Post.
The third-year LIV Golf pro made it clear that he doesn’t regret his decision.
“We knew what we signed up for,” said Johnson, who was standing on a dock nearby his boat called, “Justin Chillin.”
The “Full Swing” episode also shows Johnson’s downward spiral in the U.S. Open last June.
After a strong first round, Johnson’s chances were scuttled by a quadruple bogey eight on the second hole on Friday and had to settle for a tenth-place finish.
Gretzky was seen on the course — at the Los Angeles Country club in her native L.A. — with the couple’s son River.
“Aw come on DJ, let’s do this like you’ve been working so hard,” Gretzky said to herself. “Come on… Get out of your own head.”
Prior to the championship, which was won by Wyndham Clark, Gretzky gushed over the bond she and Johnson share.
“I love traveling with Dustin, I love being there with him,” she said “We have fun we love being with each other. ‘I’m the girl saying my husband loves to hang out with me,’ ok, but that’s how I feel.”
arrive to the welcome party for the LIV Golf Invitational-Bedminster at
Gotham Hall on July 27, 2022 in New York. via Getty Images
Gretzky and Johnson, who tied the knot in April 2022, are also parents to son, Tatum.
“Obviously [I] wanted to play a little bit better than I did,” Johnson said after the U.S. Open. “[I] didn’t give it a full go, maybe a little lazy. I don’t know what it was. So I’m going to grind harder and try to get my game back to where it was when I was contending for titles every single week.”
Johnson has dominated since he switched to LIV Golf.
The 4Aces GC captain has individual wins in all three of his LIV Golf seasons: 2024 Las Vegas, 2023 Tulsa and 2022 Boston.
