Dustin Johnson, winner of two majors, resigned this Tuesday from playing on the PGA Tour, the circuit that encompasses most golf competitions, to participate in the new network of tournaments backed by a sovereign wealth fund from Saudi Arabia, whose first event will be the LIV Golf Invitational at the Centurion Club in London, where prizes total $25 million.
“It’s hard to talk about the consequences it could have, but I’ve given up my membership on the PGA Tour and that’s the plan for now,” Johnson, already installed at the London club, told a news conference. The American acknowledged that he “had to think long and hard” about leaving the PGA Tour, especially because he was unable to participate in the Ryder Cup.
“In the end, I decided to come and do this,” he insisted at the Centurion Club. “I’m excited about this. Obviously the Ryder Cup is amazing and something that has meant a lot to me… I hope I get the chance to do it again, but I don’t make the rules,” he resigned himself.
Johnson, whose last win was the Saudi International in 2021, is ranked No. 13 in the world and is the player who has held the No. 1 ranking in the world longer than any player since Tiger Woods. “I chose what is best for me and my family,” he added, explaining his decision to join the Saudi company led by Greg Norman.
Speaking alongside Johnson, former US Open champion Graeme McDowell said he had yet to give up his PGA membership. “I don’t feel like I have to, I don’t want to get into a legal situation with the PGA Tour,” Johnson concluded.
Along with Johnson will be, among others, the Spaniards Sergio García, Pablo Larrazábal, Adrián Otaegui and the amateur David Puig, the South African Louis Oosthuizen, the Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell or the Englishman Lee Westwood. The LIV invitational circuit will consist of 8 events, one in London, five that will be played on US soil and two more in Bangkok and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
