Dustin Johnson has appeared to confess that he injured his back earlier this year during a bedroom incident with wife Paulina Gretzky.
Johnson, 38, has returned to action and is preparing for this week's US PGA Championship in Oak Hill. At the time of his injury in February, it was claimed that the LIV Golf star had hurt his back during a practice round, forcing him to withdraw from a tournament in Jeddah.
But during a press conference on Wednesday, Johnson revealed the truth behind his injury and left a reporter stunned. "I just pulled a muscle, lower back," the American replied. The reporter then followed up by asking: "Swinging a club? Lifting up a kid?" and Johnson couldn't hide a big grin.
"No," Johnson chuckled back, tilting his head from one side to another. "Lifting up a kid... a bigger kid," the 38-year-old added, as many inside the press room got the innuendo and burst out laughing while Johnson awkwardly looked around.
"I'm done!" the reporter said back, while another admitted: "I don't know how to follow that up."
Wife Pauline is the daughter of legendary former Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky, who many consider to be the greatest of all-time in his sport. The couple married in Tennessee last April, having first begun dating in 2013 and knowing each other for four years prior.
Johnson and Gretzky have two sons; older child Tatum, born in 2015, and younger brother River, born in 2017.
Their golfing father is known to have had previous troubles with his back, as another injury sustained at home forced him to miss the first two months of the 2012 season, including The Masters.
Have your say! Who'll win the US PGA Championship? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Five years later, Johnson would miss The Masters once again after falling down the stairs at a home he was renting in Augusta. The four-time major winner is still looking for his first PGA Championship crown and victory would make him the first LIV Golf player to do so.
Johnson secured the second win of his controversial LIV career earlier this week, as he birdied the first play-off hole to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace, claiming the inaugural LIV Golf Tulsa title. The Saudi Arabia-backed tournament continues to cause division among the golfing world for its links with a country renowned for its poor human rights record.
