If you watched the Masters—or really any of the major PGA Tour events—you may find yourself wondering if Paulina Gretzky is officially the wife of Dustin Johnson.
After all, every time he is in contention for the win, the cameras are fixated on the blonde beauty. So much so that she told Golf Digest sometimes she feels like a zoo animal when she’s watching DJ in person.
Surely this is frustrating for her, but I mean, c’mon… She has to get it, right? That couple is about as A-List as it gets for golf. Dustin has a reputation for being somewhat of a bad boy party animal. And Paulina is quite literally the daughter of the greatest hockey player to ever play the sport, Wayne Gretzky.
And, well, she is fairly easy on the eyes too.
So, Is Paulina Gretzky Actually Dustin Johnson’s Wife?
As it stands, the couple are still engaged, not married. Which, to be honest, is rather surprising considering the fact that they have been engaged since 2013 and have two children together!
You have to wonder if Gretzky is starting to put the pressure on Johnson, especially considering she told Golf Digest back in 2014 “We wanted so badly to do it this fall, but with his schedule and all it’s been hard to set a date.”
Let’s take a look back at golf’s favorite couple—and see if we can sort out what is really going on with them!
How Did Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky Meet?
These two lovebirds first met back in 2011. Her mother, Janet Jones, played golf with DJ in the Wednesday pro-am before the PGA event at Sherwood. Apparently, Janet is quite the wing-woman, because according to her daughter, she talked her up quite a bit to Dustin.
According to the way Gretzky explained their first encounter to Golf Digest, it was far from glamorous.
“My mom invited me over to meet this golfer she had just met,” Paulina explained. “So I show up looking like a complete ragamuffin, and here’s this really cute guy. I didn’t stay long, but he was such a gentleman, so endearing. He’s always been that way to me. We exchanged numbers, and here we are.”
The couple, however, did not start officially dating until early 2013. And they got engaged in August of that same year.
I, for one, can not believe that this love story has not been turned into a major motion picture yet! Talk about a tale destined for the silver screen. Maybe Hollywood is just waiting for Paulina to officially become Dustin Johnson’s wife before they tell their story.
Their Happy Little Family
Obviously you know the headliners in this family tree. Paulina’s father, Wayne—also known as “The Great One”—was an absolute legend in the NHL. He has every important record under the sun, many of which, will simply never be broken.
Her mother Janet Jones, who we talked about before, is a star in her own right. Back in the day, she was a Hollywood starlet herself, having appeared in The Flamingo Kid, A chorus Line, and on the cover of Playboy.
Most of you probably know Dustin’s accolades. He has been one of the most successful golfers on tour over the past decade, winning two Majors, the 2020 FedEx Cup, and several other PGA Tour Events. DJ’s ability to hit the golf ball further than most of his competition has led not only led to victories, but it has also helped him become a fan favorite among golf fans worldwide.
His fiancée has made quite a career for herself as well—in a variety of areas. Paulina took up singing at a young age. She performed a cover of Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You” at the NHL’s 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton. And in 2004, her song “Collecting Dust” was featured on season two of MTV’s “Laguna Beach.”
She has also appeared in a handful of flicks, such as Grown Ups 2, Fame, and Guns, Girls, and Gambling. On top of that, she has engaged in various modeling arrangements and even had a record deal. And let’s not forget her social media presence, which includes nearly one-million Instagram followers.
Nowadays, the couple have two kids of their own: sons Tatum Gretzky Johnson, who was born in 2015, and River Jones Johnson, born in 2017.
It Has Not All Been Sunshine and Rainbows for Dustin and Paulina
Dustin Johnson has been no stranger to trouble over the years. His struggles began as a kid. As a child of divorce, he fell in with the wrong crowd and was always in and out of trouble. He even served jail time at one point.
He was never a bad kid. Not nasty or mean. Just needed help growing up. And by all accounts he has been—even if his dug issues have still occasionally plagued him in adulthood. In fact, his relapses into heavy cocaine use even led to a couple of brief break ups for the couple. One time, it got so bad that Gretzky decided to delete all of her posts that had DJ in them.
The media and fans alike were all shocked. Paulina was not even his wife yet, but the narrative had been set. She and Dustin Johnson were going to be together forever!
Fortunately, the two seem to have figured it out. Johnson is back on the straight and narrow—and playing great golf to boot.
They Love to have Fun
Even if they haven’t gotten around to make it official yet—they still spend plenty of time having fun together. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they do not have cheap tastes either.
In November of 2020, the couple decided to celebrate Johnson’s first ever win at the Masters. So they fired off to St. Bart’s with a group of close friends to hit the beach, party, and relax. And in typical fashion, Paulina proceeded to set the internet on fire by posting photos from the vacation on Instagram.
There was also the trip in December of 2020, when they hit the Bahamas to celebrate Paulina’s 32nd birthday. Or the journey to Aspen in 2021, where they hit the slopes and kicked it with the stars of “Southern Charm,” a popular reality show.
Really, a sort of fitting celebrity cameo for a Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky outing—if you ask me.
Paulina Gretzky’s Social Media Controversies
When you’re the daughter of the greatest hockey player ever, you’re going to have a lot of eyes on you. That didn’t seem to bother Paulina, but it apparently didn’t sit well with Wayne Gretzky.
According to reports, The Great One had to pressure a 23-year-old Paulina to take a break from posting her scandalous photos on Twitter back in November 2011. Her hiatus lasted about a week, before she made her triumphant return with some much-more-tame photos.
But then, in May 2012, it was Instagram’s turn to host some controversial photos of Paulina. This time, Gretzky’s daughter was photographed in some provocative positions while parting with some male friends in a bikini. The photos quickly spread throughout the internet. Although she deleted them soon after, the damage had already been done.
The good news is that Paulina seems to have cleaned up her act on Instagram. While she does still post her fair share of revealing swimsuit photos, they’re done in a much more tasteful manner. I’m sure Wayne appreciated the shift in attitude.
Will Paulina Gretzky ever be Dustin Johnson’s Wife?
Well, my friend. Unfortunately, whether they plan to eventually tie the knot is a question that we don’t have the answer to.
On the bright side, all signs point to yes . The couple seem to have grown out of their heavy partying days. And when you have children together, marriage is often the choice.
It is likely just a matter of time until the two find some time to tie the knot. I know we ribbed them for putting it off, but the reality is they are two very busy people. So I don’t blame them for procrastinating!
