How Paulina Gretzky's Mom Ignited Her Romance With Dustin Johnson

Paulina Gretzky and Dustin Johnson dated for years before tying the knot. The first reports of their romance came in 2013 when the pair had been spotted together. Later that year, Johnson popped the question, and the pair were engaged. "@PaulinaGretzky she said yes!!!" the golf pro wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of Gretzky wearing her new engagement ring. It would be some time before they actually walked down the aisle. While still engaged, the couple had a child in 2015 and another in 2017. The following year, rumors circulated that the pair were calling it quits  — amid cheating allegations — but Johnson clarified where they stood with a statement on Twitter saying they were "committed to being a family."

In 2021, Gretzky opened up about the prolonged engagement, and how she and Johnson wanted to have their lives in order before getting married. "The most important thing was my kids, Dustin and my career. Those things took precedent," she said appearing on the "Pillows and Beer" podcast, via Hollywood Life. The two said their "I dos" the following year in May 2022.

Before officially dating the PGA golfer, Gretzky was romantically linked to an NHL player, which she denied. "Everyone can know this now! I pick the wrong guys, so I'm waiting for the right guy to come pick me," she told Flare magazine during an interview in 2013, via Bleacher Report. Fortunately, her mother intervened to help "pick a guy," and was responsible for Gretzky meeting her eventual husband.

In 2011, Paulina Gretzky's mother, Janet Jones, was paired with Dustin Johnson for a pro-am golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods. The wife of Wayne Gretzky decided to take it upon herself and play matchmaker. "She told Dustin about her daughter, blah-blah-blah, and invited him to the house that night," Paulina told Golfer's Digest in 2014. "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 added. While they did not start dating right away, the meeting at the Gretzky household led to the future couple staying in touch. "We exchanged numbers, and here we are," Paulina said.

Johnson recalled the same story when speaking about how he met Paulina. Apparently, he had a pre-existing relationship with Wayne, as the two had played at an earlier event before the 2020 Master's champion met his future mother-in-law. It took some time for Johnson and Paulina to begin their romance after meeting at the family dinner. "We were friends for like three years before we started dating," Johnson recalled to Amateur Hour in June.

According to Paulina, her father approved of Johnson from the beginning. During a Q&A with fans on Instagram in 2022, the model was asked for Wayne's first impressions of Johnson. "He told me I should marry him," Paulina wrote, via the New York Post. Although, there were habits of Johnson's that The Great One disapproved of.

Dustin Johnson took a personal leave from the PGA in 2014, and at the time there was speculation that he had tested positive for cocaine use. There were reports that Wayne Gretzky had made an ultimatum to Johnson "to clean up his act, or the wedding was off," per Fox News. The hockey legend was also reportedly willing to give guidance to his future son-in-law. Fortunately, Johnson was able to leave his partying ways behind him, and not only eventually marry Paulina Gretzky, but forge a close relationship with the family.

To celebrate Wayne's birthday in January, Janet Jones organized a big birthday bash with the help of her daughter and Johnson. A few months later, while the golf pro was playing in the Masters Tournament, Jones sent out a special message to her son-in-law. "Let's Go DUSTIN! We are with you every step , we Love you!!!!!" she wrote on Instagram in April alongside a snap of the golfer on the course with Paulina and their kids.

Wayne attended a Florida Panthers game in November 2022 and brought Paulina and Johnson as his guests. "Thank you @flapanthers for taking care of my family!" the former Edmonton Oiler wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo of the three at the game. His support for Johnson extended beyond social media posts, as Wayne accompanied Johnson to the U.S. Open in June. Years after that initial meeting at the Gretzky home, Johnson has become a true member of the family.