A lot has happened in Dustin Johnson’s career since he joined the golf world. Take, for instance, his 24 PGA Tour wins. It also includes 2 majors, the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters. These wins earned him a spot as World No. 1 in the OWGR. Soon enough, he started his own event—the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship. Sounds like something straight out of a success storybook, right?
However, things took a turn in 2022. Johnson left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf for a contract reportedly worth $125-150 million. While the contract brought him a lot of money, it also cost him something important: his OWGR ranking. Before joining LIV Golf, he was ranked 13th in the world. His current ranking? 594. That’s a staggering fall of 581 positions!
However, Dustin Johnson still searches for the silver lining of being with LIV Golf. And it’s precious if you take a look at his answer. Currently, the 40-year-old golfer is active at TPC Myrtle Beach for this year’s DJ World Junior. Reflecting on his experience, the golfer said, “It’s been really nice. LIV is going really well. My life is going good. It’s nice for me being at home for a longer period of time.” With so much time on his hands, he also gets to coach baseball and his kid’s basketball team. He added that he gets to spend time with his family and do things that he wasn’t able to do before. Looking at this, it’s no wonder Johnson values his family a lot.
But what about his games on the greens with LIV Golf, you ask? Well, it’s not too extraordinary. Since 2022, Johnson hasn’t achieved a single top-5 in any major. When it comes to the top 10, he claimed one back in 2022 British Open, where he tied for sixth. The second one came a year later at the U.S. Open (10th).
That was for the individual play. On the team front, Johnson belongs to the 4 Aces team with Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III, and Thomas Pieters. Additionally, as its captain, Johnson has seen the most success by winning the regular season team competition (2022 and 2023).
Discussing the upcoming schedule for LIV Golf, the golfer said: “Right now, I’m really focused and working really hard to try to get the game in good form, especially since I’ve got Augusta coming up and I leave on Saturday to go to Hong Kong and Singapore.” The Hong Kong tour will take place between March 7 and 9, and the Singapore tour will take place from March 14 to 16. Johnson adds that he is putting a lot of effort into honing his skills.
However, his recent performances will again raise your eyebrows. Take, for instance, the fact that he played two LIV Golf events this year. His first was LIV Golf Riyadh, where he finished T44. How about the second one, you ask? Well, at the Adelaide event, he performed slightly better, ending up at T31.
Dustin Johnson is still hopeful, though. He agrees that while he started out strong in the 2024 season, the rest of the year went downhill. “But this year I feel like the game’s in really good form and, hopefully, I can contend in all the tournaments from here on out.” It is impossible to know what will happen in the future, but with golf being an unpredictable sport, we can only wait and see.
But there’s something good going on with Dustin Johnson. Here’s what it is.
Dustin Johnson and Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship
In case you’re missing out on this junior golf tournament, let us give you a glimpse into it. The Dustin Johnson World Junior started in 2016. Its golfers have gone on to play in PGA Tour events and the U.S. Women’s Open. Sounds impressive enough? Well, there’s more. It will take place from February 28 to March 2. Additionally, it will host star-studded names like Charlie Woods and Kai Trump, President Donald Trump’s granddaughter.
Dustin Johnson attended the press conference on Thursday at TPC Myrtle Beach. He was at the Murrells Inlet to kick off this year’s DJ Junior tournament. Undoubtedly, he seemed excited. Talking about it, he said that it is very exciting to see how much his event has grown over the years. And it has. The 54-hole tour will feature names like Tyler Watts and Hamilton Coleman, among others, in the boys category. For girls, it will have Ryleigh Knaub and Mia Hammond, among others. The field will have cut on the same day (Saturday) that Johnson leaves for his next LIV Golf events.
So, who will you be catching up on? The juniors or the seniors? Let us know below!
The post At Rock Bottom After PGA Tour Exit, Dustin Johnson Drops 5-Word Verdict on His LIV Golf Journey appeared first on EssentiallySports.
