I chose the one that is best for me and my family: Johnson
Two-time champion Dustin Johnson has resigned from his PGA Tour to play in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, funded by Saudi Arabia.
The former world number one will play the eight events of the new $ 255 million (£ 200 million) series, which starts on Thursday at the Centurion Club near London.
Johnson, 37, joined the PGA Tour in 2008 and has earned $ 74 million in his career.
“I don’t want to play the rest of my life, that gives me a chance to do what I want,” he said.
Johnson’s announcement was an explosive one-week start that threatens to shatter elite men’s golf.
U.S. teammate Kevin Na said earlier this week that he was leaving the dominant PGA Tour to play at LIV Golf events, but Johnson’s decision overrides that.
He spent 135 weeks as world number one, was the player of the year on the PGA Tour in 2016 and 2020 – the years of his respective U.S. Open and Masters wins – and was also crowned champion of the FedEx Cup two years ago.
Upon leaving the PGA Tour, Johnson, who is said to receive $ 150 million in appearance fees to play in the series, is giving up his chance to take part in future Ryder Cups.
He has been on the winning side in two of his five appearances in the biennial competition against Europe, including his five-game winning streak last year’s 19-9 victory over Whistling Straits in Michigan.
“The Ryder Cup is amazing and has meant a lot to me, but I finally decided this was the best for me and my family,” he said.
“Everything is subject to change and I hope that at some point it will change and I will have the opportunity to do it again.”
PGA of America Executive Director Seth Waugh said last year: “If anyone wants to play in a Ryder Cup for the United States, they must be a member of the PGA of America and get that membership. (PGA) Tour Member “.
Johnson’s decision represents a significant turnaround as he said in February he was committed to the PGA Tour, which has threatened sanctions and possible bans on players signing up for LIV Golf.
When asked what had changed in such a short time, the world number 15 simply replied, “I thought it was best for me and my family. I give up my PGA Tour membership.
“What the consequences will be, I can’t comment on how the Tour will do it. I can’t answer for the majors, but hopefully they will allow us to play.
“I’m obviously exempt from the majors, so I plan to play unless I hear the opposite.”
The majors are not run by the PGA Tour and Johnson’s victory two years ago at the Masters gives him a lifetime exemption for the tournament at Augusta National. His victory at the 2016 U.S. Open secured him a spot in his national championship for 10 years. His Masters victory also gives him a five-year exemption for the U.S. PGA Open and Championship.
Johnson on Tuesday revealed his decision to leave the PGA Tour at a press conference at the Centurion Club
The U.S. Open and Open, which kicks off on June 16 in Brookline, Massachusetts, should introduce a special clause to exclude players from competing in LIV Golf events.
Six-time main champion Phil Mickelson will also compete in what will be his first appearance after a four-month break from the match.
The American has not played since his biographer posted controversial comments in February about events funded by Saudi Arabia. He is scheduled to speak to the media on Wednesday.
It has also been reported that Spaniard Sergio Garcia and South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace, who are also in the field of 48 players for this week’s event on the outskirts of London, have renounced his membership in the American base. circuit.
However, Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell has not given up on the PGA Tour, saying he did not want to get into a “legal situation” with the organization.
He last played in the Ryder Cup in 2014, four years after securing the winning putt at Celtic Manor. He was vice-captain of the victorious Paris team in 2018 and again on the losing side last year.
The 42-year-old Northern Irishman, who won the 2010 US Open, has presented himself as a potential European team captain when the event is played at Adare Manor in the Republic of Ireland in 2027 .
“As for the Ryder Cup, it’s something I thought about long before I made the decision to come here. I hope that doesn’t affect that,” he said.
“When you look at the European Tour, the players here have done a lot for the Ryder Cup product and it would be a shame to see these uninvited guys.
“Is it healthy for sports? This Tour is designed to complement the best tours in the world.”
His European Ryder Cup teammates Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Garcia are all at Centurion this week.
(LR) Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell and Ratchanon Chantananuwat are four on the field for the inaugural LIV Golf event
“We are proud to help the Saudis grow the game”
McDowell also answered questions about the morality of playing at an event that has been funded with money from Saudi Arabia, given the nation’s human rights record and allegations of sports laundering.
“Khashoggi’s situation, we all agree, was reprehensible,” he said, referring to the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “No one will dispute this fact, but we are golfers. We are not politicians.
“Golf is a force for good in the world and I love using the game as something to help them grow around the world and be role models for children.
“If Saudi Arabia wants to use the game of golf as a way for them to get where they want to go, we are proud to help them on this journey, using the game of golf and the skills we have to help them grow. sport “.
Asked specifically how golf helps repressed groups in Saudi Arabia, McDowell added: “I wish I had the ability to be able to hold this conversation with you.
“As golfers, if we tried to cure geopolitical situations in every country in the world where we played, we wouldn’t play much. It’s a very difficult question to answer. We’re just here to focus on golf.”
The $ 25 million (£ 20 million) bag is the most lucrative ever played on British soil, with $ 4 million for the winner of this first of eight events to be played in 2022.
This initial series of invitations will feature six more regular season tournaments in 2022: four in the United States, one in Thailand and one in Saudi Arabia, each with the same $ 25 million prize pool, which means that each stage of the series is more lucrative than the richest. PGA Tour tournament.
The events will feature a team and individual competition, with 12 captains selecting three players in a draft style format. Each day, teams of four will play at the same time in different holes in what is called a “shotgun launch.”
The individual winner of each event will take home $ 4 million; by comparison, the flagship event of the PGA Tour, the Players Championship, won Cameron Smith $ 3.6 million for his victory in March, while Collin Morikawa won $ 2 million for his victory in the Open Championship in 2021.
The eighth and final event, at the Trump National Doral in Miami in October, will be a $ 50 million Team Championship elimination tournament with 12 teams. The winning team will receive $ 16 million, and each of the four players will receive a 25% cut.