Dustin Johnson denies cocaine issue

— -- Dustin Johnson, who reportedly had been suspended by the PGA Tour for a positive drug test last summer but who the tour says is on a leave of absence, denied he has a cocaine problem, according to an interview with SI.com.

The eight-time PGA Tour winner told SI.com that he did not go into rehab but instead brought in a group of experts, including a life coach, to better handle the pressures surrounding him and to figure things out internally to tap into his potential.

"I did not have a problem," he said, talking specifically about cocaine, which was the cause of the positive drug test, according to Golf.com. "It's just something I'm not going to get into. I have issues. But that's not the issue."

Johnson, who is engaged to Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, announced he was stepping away from the game in late July. He missed the PGA Championship and the FedEx Cup playoffs, and he likely would have qualified for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Paulina Gretzky gave birth to the couple's first child -- a boy -- Monday. Johnson is expected to return to the PGA Tour soon and could do so at either the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines or the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The 30-year-old Johnson told SI.com that during his self-discovery process, he learned ways to deal with stress.

"My way of getting rid of it was drinking or partying," he told the website. "Yeah, that might work for that day or the next week, but eventually everything keeps piling up."

Johnson also reportedly said he decided to shrink the number of people who are close to him, declining to name who was cut out of his inner circle.

Referring to his golf game, he said, "I don't think I've even scratched the surface. And that was a really big part of what I've been doing, to help myself reach that potential."