TENSION is mounting as fans wait to see who will take away the iconic jacket at the Masters this weekend.

But not everyone’s eyes will be on the golf if Dustin Johnson’s incredibly stunning wife Paulina Gretzky makes another appearance on the Fairway.

She’s the King of backswing’s biggest cheerleader who has watched Johnson, 39, become one of the most successful golfers of his generation with six World Golf Championship victories to his name.

All eyes were on the stunner during the opening day of the event in Augusta this week where she was pictured in a glam red dress.

But Paulina only has eyes for her husband when he competes, with the model and career woman once classing herself as being his ‘teammate’.

So much so, even marriage was out of bounds for nine years with doting Paulina, 35, putting the golfer’s career first.

“…This guy [Johnson] has no downtime,” she told the Pillows and Beer podcast.

“The stresses from getting everything ready for a wedding would take over mine and his life and what I needed to be was his teammate.

“I needed to be there for him to support him and love him and make sure he is accomplishing what he needed to do.”

So who is this patient and loving woman who is the secret weapon behind Johnson’s success?

Here, with insight from culture expert Nick Ede, NIKKI WATKINS takes a closer look into the ‘Posh’ of the golfing world…

Rich powerhouse in her own right

The secret to Paulina becoming such a power force for her husband’s career could be down to her being a firecracker in her own working life. 

Paulina is from Los Angeles and has a career that stretches across modelling, acting and singing. 

She’s featured in the movies Grown Ups 2 and Fame, and has landed lucrative recording deals. 

Nick says: “People have really overlooked the golf WAG until now.

“Paulina Gretzky is a talented pop star and model who has amassed a net worth of around £6m from modelling and brand deals.

“Alongside her golfing superstar husband, who is worth a cool £100m, the pair are the Posh and Becks of the golfing world with everything they touch turning to gold. 

“With their home in Florida worth a cool £8m they live a fabulous life.

“Paulina is very hands-on in her husband’s career and not only makes sure he looks good, but she also helps him with his endorsement deals and persuaded him to leave the PGA for LIV which has earned him even more millions.

“Paulina has carved herself a career that’s independent from her husbands, she’s an impressive business person in her own rights.”

Backbone of the family

While Dustin’s career takes him all over the world, Paulina is credited as being the backbone of their family at home, so he can concentrate on golf. 

After falling in love, the couple became engaged in 2013 and tied the knot in April 2022, exchanging vows in front of a glamorous crowd in a stunning ceremony at luxury hotel and resort Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, USA.

While Johnson’s career has taken off, so too has his family, as the couple share two sons River, seven and Tatum, nine. 

Following his second major victory at the 2020 Masters, Johnson paid an emotional tribute to his lover’s hard work that allowed him to pursue sporting victory.

He said: “She’s such a big supporter of mine… obviously, with golf or any professional athlete, or even a business, you (sic) got to have somebody to support you.

“I’ve spent a lot of time away from home, or at the golf course, or travelling on the road, whatever it is.

“So you need that special person, especially with the kids. She does a great job taking care of everything else so all I got to do (sic) is worry about golf.”

Paulina too believes in the importance of teamwork when bringing up her children, she admitted in a chat with magazine KIND: “The example I set for my kids with Dustin is we have to do it together.

“’We’re not always on the same page, but we trust each other enough so that I know he’s doing right by our children and he knows I’m doing right by our kids – we talk about it, but at the fundamental level is trust.”

Daughter of the great one 

Paulina is not the only Gretzky supporting Johnson’s career- her famous sports star dad is a huge encouragement too. 

Johnson’s father-in-law is Wayne Gretzky, the ice hockey legend and a serial title winner. 

The golfer hasn’t been shy in asking Wayne Gretzky – who has earned the title ‘The Great One’ for his sporting prowess on the ice – for advice, from someone he sees as a father-figure.

At the time of meeting Paulina, and her father, for the first time in 2009, Johnson was a Top 10 ranking golfer, but there was a recklessness that threatened to derail his career.

The same year he met the Gretzky family, he allegedly failed a drug test after reportedly testing positive for marijuana, according to Golf.com.

There were rumours he didn’t have that focus needed to be a champion until he got closer to Wayne Gretzky.

As golf writer Bob Gillespie revealed: “He might be the father figure that Dustin lacked all those years.

“He understands the pressures that Dustin is under as a top athlete. The Gretzky family have really taken Dustin in, almost like another son.”

Early in Johnson’s relationship with his daughter, Wayne Gretzky said: “Everybody always knew he had the talent, the ability. But I think he has matured drastically to a point where he gets mad at himself if he doesn’t compete and he doesn’t win.”

Queen of red hot smooches

Paulina has been his good luck charm on the fairway – being a one woman cheering squad for the athlete and her support has even extended to caddying for him.

The loved-up couple have become famous for their golfing PDAs. 

Their red-hot smooches, when Paulina is fairway-side, have become a regular occurance during golfing tournament footage. 

Nick adds: “Having the physical support of a powerhouse like Paulina when he is physically doing his job, is a huge boost for Johnson.”

She knows how to turn up the heat

There is an element too of Johnson becoming the best in his field, to impress his beautiful wife. 

Nick says: “Having Paulina at his side is a huge buzz for Dustin Johnson. She is beautiful, talented and a lovely mum to their children. 

“He wants to be top of the game and make her proud.

“As a model herself, she is also a driving force for him to keep in great shape, like she is.”

The model is comfortable turning up the heat in revealing outfits to showcase her lithe figure on and off the golf course. 

She has built up a stunning profile of pictures on Instagram, where she has over a million followers, regularly posting bikini-clad images and racy nudes. 

With modelling being her livelihood, she shared with magazine Golf Digest how she keeps in great shape. 

She said: “…I was blessed with incredible genes… Look at my parents! But it’s really 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent working out. It’s all about fitting in some exercise wherever you are.

“Dustin and I are very realistic about not letting diet and exercise consume our lives. We’re very pro being healthy and being fit, but we’re also very pro you have one life to live so have a fun life.”

Shuts down the haters

Paulina has had to weather storms that have protected Johnson and her family, allowing him to get on with golf, while she took on a protective role.  

Earlier this year she revealed she received death threats following her husband’s move from PGA Tour to LIV Golf. 

This defection to the rebel circuit rocked the sport and left the model scared for her family’s safety. 

She opened up on the aftermath of her husband’s move during a chat on documentary Full Swing, revealing the level of abuse she received forced her to take a step back from social media.  

She says: ‘People (were) sending death threats and awful, awful, awful things… people were aggressive that’s for sure. But that’s when I shut it (social media) down for a little bit. I was like ‘I don’t need to look at this’…”

Being the woman who is the wind beneath the wings of one of the most successful golfers of his generation, Dustin Johnson is very lucky to have her on his tee-m.