Dustin Johnson has become the latest golfer to resign from the PGA Tour. He has officially committed to LIV Golf and will play in only the upstart tour’s events and majors moving forward.
Johnson announced the decision at a press conference Tuesday, two days ahead of LIV Golf’s first event.
“Obviously at this time, it’s hard to speak on what the consequences will be,” Johnson told reporters. “But for right now, I resign my membership from the tour and I’m going to play here [with LIV Golf] for now. That’s the plan.”
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Johnson’s decision to join LIV Golf was a surprising one. The 15th-ranked golfer in the world was first announced as part of the field for the Saudi-backed golf tour’s first event in London on May 31, less than four months after he announced that he was “fully committed to the PGA Tour.”
What led Johnson to change his mind? The 37-year-old was adamant that he had chosen what is best for his family.
“At that time, I was committed to playing the PGA Tour,” Johnson said of his initial statement. “I’m very thankful for the PGA Tour and everything it’s done for me. I’ve done pretty well out there for the last 15 years. But this is something that was best for me and my family. It’s something exciting and something new.”
It will also be a profitable choice for Johnson. It is reported that he received roughly $150 million to join LIV; that is more than double his career PGA Tour earnings of $73.4 million, and that’s without factoring in any potential prize money that Johnson — the highest-ranked player in LIV Golf’s 48-man field — could take home.
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Johnson won’t be able to play on the PGA Tour anymore after his resignation. However, he is hoping to continue playing golf’s four majors, which are all run by governing bodies that are separate from the PGA Tour.
“I can’t answer for the majors, but hopefully they’re going to allow us to play,” Johnson said. “Obviously I’m exempt for the majors, so I plan on playing unless I hear otherwise.”
As he mentioned, Johnson has earned an exemption to all four majors. He has a 10-year one at the U.S. Open that came as a result of his 2017 win at the event while his 2020 Masters win earned him free passage into the Masters (for life) and both The Open Championship and PGA Championship for five years each. So, he will likely have a chance to play in those contests.
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However, Johnson is no longer eligible to participate in the Ryder Cup because he is no longer a member of the PGA of America after his decision to leave the PGA Tour. He explained that missing out on the Ryder Cup will be tough, but he could be ruled eligible for it further down the road if the rules relax.
“Obviously all things are subject to change,” Johnson said. “Hopefully at some point it will change and I’ll be able to participate. If it doesn’t, well, it was another thing I really had to think long and hard about. Ultimately I decided to come to this and play out here.
“The Ryder Cup is unbelievable and something that has definitely meant a lot to me. I’m proud to say I’ve represented my country and hopefully I’ll get a chance to do that again. But I don’t make the rules.”