Pro golfer Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky have been engaged for 8 years - here's a timeline of their relationship
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Dustin Johnson and his fiancée Paulina Gretzky met through Gretzky's parents in 2009.
The golf star and the pop singer-turned-model didn't go on their first date, however, until 2012.
They've been together ever since and now have two children.
First, here's some background on the pair. Johnson is currently ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The 36-year-old has been No. 1 for years, according to CBS.
He won the 2020 Masters, the 2016 US Open, and six World Golf Championships.
He celebrated his Masters win with a trip to the Caribbean, tequila shots, and many games of giant Jenga.
He is a favorite to win the 2021 Masters Tournament.
Days before heading to Augusta, Georgia, for the 2021 tournament, he sold his Florida mansion for $16.5 million, triple what he bought it for six years ago, Insider reported.
Meanwhile, Paulina Gretzky - the Gretzky family's eldest child - has pursued a multi-faceted career as a singer and model, over the years.
According to the Sun, her song "Collecting Dust" was featured on "Laguna Beach" back in the day.
2009: They met after Johnson was paired with Gretzky's mom, Janet, for a golf tournament.
Speaking to Golf Digest in 2014, Paulina Gretzky claimed to have looked like a "ragamuffin" during their initial 2009 meeting, but she added that Johnson was a "really cute guy" and an "endearing gentleman."
She also said her mother talked her up upon meeting Johnson.
"I'm sure he was rolling his eyes, and so was I when my mom invited me over to meet this golfer she had just met," she said.
According to Golf.com, Janet Gretzy invited Johnson over for dinner and he remained friendly with the family.
2012: When they finally went on their first date three years later, her parents tagged along.
"I don't know if you can call it a date since my dad tagged along," Gretzky told GOLF in 2016.
Wayne Gretzky added: "That's how it goes in our family. Janet and I go out to eat, and we somehow always wind up with seven or eight people at the table. Everyone is invited."
The Gretzksys themselves have been married since 1988, and they have five kids together, including Paulina.
August 2013: Just seven months after they began dating, Johnson popped the question.
"She said yes!!!," Johnson tweeted. She added on Instagram, "Never been happier."
January 2014: Gretzky took to Instagram to showcase what Golf Digest called a "surprisingly powerful swing."
It led to her getting a deal with TaylorMade, she later told Golf Digest.
April 2014: Gretzky said it had been hard to set a wedding date due to their whirlwind schedules. "It'll be our special day, and we just want it to be right and to fit," she said.
"The most important thing for me right now is my relationship with Dustin. It's what makes me happiest, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's important for people to realize it's okay to be happy in love. If you don't want to give up something, that's okay. But if you're in love and have to give up something, that's okay too," she told Golf Digest.
April 2014: In an interview with Golf Digest, Gretzky admitted she wasn't always a big fan of golf.
Of course, the Gretzkys are famous for hockey, but her family is into golf as well.
"I didn't appreciate golf as much when I was little, probably because my mom put us in tennis camps and golf camps," Gretzky told Golf Digest.
She has played, though. "I walked all 18 holes in my dad's tournament. Felt like the longest day of my life, but I stuck through it. The truth is, I was a total tomboy and loved sports. Dad always says I was his best athlete. I played softball until the sixth grade, and that's when I said, 'Dad, stop. I'm a girl,'" she told Golf Digest in 2014.
But between her parents' love of golf and her choice of fiancé, she's become more enamored with the sport of golf.
'I'll go with him to the range every once in a while, but mostly I just love being with him and watching him play," she said of her fiancé.
August 2014: Johnson went through a rough patch after testing positive for cocaine. The Gretzkys supported him throughout.
Golf.com reported Johnson failed drug tests for cocaine and marijuana. In July 2014, he said he would be taking a leave of absence to "seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced."
Fox News reported that Wayne Gretzky had taken to mentoring Johnson — and reportedly warned him to clean up his act and stop partying.
September 2014: Gretzky and Johnson announce they're expecting their first baby.
"@djohnsonpga & i are so excited to finally share with you all our amazing news..we're having a baby!!" Gretzky wrote on a since-deleted Instagram post on September 24, 2014, the LA Times reported.
January 2015: The couple welcomed their first son, Tatum Johnson, to the world.
Tatum was born on January 15, 2015.
"Paulina and I are happy to announce the arrival of our baby boy, who was born in Los Angeles on Monday morning,"Johnson wrote on Instagram, Us Weekly reported.
"Both Paulina and the baby are healthy, resting comfortably, and in great spirits! We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received and plan to release further details in the coming days," he added.
January 2015: Johnson indicated to Sports Illustrated that he had taken Wayne Gretzky's advice to heart by establishing a simpler, more family-oriented routine.
"Over these past four or five months I've really grown up," he told Sports Illustrated in January 2015, "and I am starting to become the person I want my kids to look up to."
Sports Illustrated also reported that the couple frequently ate breakfast and dinner with Gretzky's parents when they lived nearby.
April 2016: Gretzky caddied for Johnson at the 2016 Masters.
She caddied for him during the par three contest, an event in which many professional golfers choose their family members or friends to act as caddies for them.
June 2016: Gretzky was there to support Johnson at his first US Open win.
This was Johnson's first Majors win, and Gretzky was there at his side when he earned his silver trophy.
July 2016: Johnson told the Associated Press they had planned to get married the year prior, but their schedules hadn't allowed it.
He added that the size of the wedding doesn't matter to him.
"That bill is going to Wayne," Johnson joked.
February 2017: The couple revealed they were expecting a second child. They later took to Instagram for a golf-themed gender reveal.
In the post, Johnson hit a golf ball that exploded into blue powder, signifying they were expecting another son.
June 2017: Their second son, River Jones Johnson, was born.
River was born on June 12, 2017.
"I'm so thankful for my family and the new addition River Jones Johnson @paulinagretzky," Johnson posted on Instagram upon River's birth.
2018: They were pictured at the Ryder Cup Gala dinner at the Palace of Versailles, France, where Johnson showed just what an amazing Instagram husband he is.
Gretzky has almost 1 million Instagram followers.
November 2020: She was right there to congratulate him when he won his first Masters.
"Honey, i'm forever & always your biggest fan. so proud of you," Gretzky wrote on Instagram to celebrate her husband's first Masters win.
January 2021: They may still not be married, but Gretzky said, "We're so in love."
During an appearance on her sister-in-law's podcast "The Netchicks," Gretzky said," I don't know if people know if me and Dustin are really married or not. We're not. We're so in love."
She added: "I don't want anything from Dustin other than I love him."
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