Dustin Johnson, a titan in the realm of golf, has had his fair share of dizzying heights and daunting lows throughout his illustrious career. Since emerging onto the golf scene, Johnson has claimed 24 PGA Tour victories, including two majors – the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters. His exceptional performance saw him secure the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Not settling for just playing, he launched his own event, the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship.
However, 2022 marked a significant shift in his career trajectory. Johnson bid farewell to the PGA Tour and embraced LIV Golf, signing a contract reportedly within the range of $125-150 million. While this lucrative deal bolstered his bank account, it took a toll on his OWGR ranking, plummeting from 13th to a shocking 594th position, a staggering fall of 581 ranks.
Yet, Johnson remains unswerving in his optimism about his journey with LIV Golf. Currently participating in this year’s DJ World Junior at TPC Myrtle Beach, the 40-year-old golfer shared his thoughts about his experience, saying, “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.” This shift has seen him delve into coaching baseball, leading his child’s basketball team, and enjoying quality time with his family, tasks he previously didn’t have the time for.
But how has his performance fared on the greens with LIV Golf? Johnson’s record since 2022 has been less than stellar. He hasn’t notched any top-5 finishes in any major tournament. His best performance was tying for sixth place at the 2022 British Open and coming in 10th at the subsequent U.S. Open.
On the team front, Johnson is part of the 4 Aces team with Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III, and Thomas Pieters. As the captain, Johnson led his team to victory in the regular season team competition in 2022 and 2023.
In anticipation of his upcoming LIV Golf schedule, Johnson revealed, “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 is set for March 7-9, and the Singapore tour will follow from March 14-16, with Johnson pouring his efforts into refining his skills.
However, his recent performances raise questions. He played two LIV Golf events this year, finishing T44 at LIV Golf Riyadh and T31 at the Adelaide event. Despite this, Johnson maintains a hopeful outlook for the 2024 season, stating, “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.”
In the midst of this roller coaster ride, Johnson has managed to cultivate something positive – The Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship. Launched in 2016, this junior golf tournament has seen its players go on to participate in PGA Tour events and the U.S. Women’s Open. The most recent tournament took place from February 28 to March 2 and hosted big names like Charlie Woods and Kai Trump, granddaughter of President Donald Trump.
At the press conference on Thursday at TPC Myrtle Beach, an excited Johnson shared his delight at how much his event has grown over the years. The 54-hole tour showcased promising players like Tyler Watts and Hamilton Coleman in the boys category, and Ryleigh Knaub and Mia Hammond among the girls. Coincidentally, the tournament’s cut day fell on the same Saturday that Johnson departed for his next LIV Golf events.
So, as we wait with bated breath to see how Johnson’s LIV Golf journey unfolds, we can only speculate – will you be keeping tabs on the juniors or the seniors?