Dustin Johnson made a big move that surprised golf fans. On Tuesday, the former No. 1 golfer in the world resigned his membership from the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, an upstart league led by Australian former golf star Greg Norman and backed by Saudi financing. As mentioned by CBS Sports, Johnson’s move was surprising considering he was close to securing a lifetime membership.
“For right now, I resign my membership from the Tour. I am going to play here for now, and that’s the plan,” Johnson said Tuesday. “But what the consequences are going to be, I obviously can’t comment on how the Tour is going to handle them.” Despite joining LIV Golf, Johnson still plans to play the PGA Tour’s four major championships. Johnson won the Masters in 2020 and has a lifetime exemption into the year’s first major championship. He is also exempt for the PGA Championship and Open Championship through 2025 and the U.S. Open through 2026.
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This means Johnson could play in the U.S. Open, which starts next week. But CBS Sports says Johnson will likely not play in this year’s Ryder Cyp. “Hopefully, obviously, all things are subject to change,” Johnson said. “I would just have to agree with what Graeme [McDowell] said. Hopefully, at some point, it will change, and we will be able to participate; but if it doesn’t, it was another thing that I really had to think long and hard about. Ultimately, I decided to come do this and play out here. Like I said, I am excited about it. Obviously, the Ryder Cup is unbelievable, and it’s something that has definitely meant a lot to me. I am proud to say I have played and represented my country. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to do that again, but you know, I don’t make the rules.”
Along with winning the Masters in 2020, Johnson won the U.S. Open in 2016. He finished second in the PGA Championship in 2019 and 2020 and second in The Open Championship in 2011. For his career, Johnson won 24 PGA Tour events and is a two-time winner of the PGA Tour Player of the Year award.
