Dustin Johnson claims that leaving PGA for LIV cost him a Ryder Cup spot.
Dustin Johnson, a two-time major champion, claims that switching from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf cost him a berth on the US Ryder Cup team this year.
Johnson, who went 5-0 for the Americans in a thrashing of Europe at Whistling Straits two years ago, told the Palm Beach Post that he felt he played well enough this year to merit a captain’s pick from Zach Johnson.
“If I had been playing on (the PGA Tour), yeah, I would have made the team,” Johnson told the tabloid. “Do I believe I can assist the US team?” Absolutely.”
Johnson, the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters champion, earned the LIV Golf season title last year. He won the LIV Tulsa championship this year in May, but struggled in three of the four majors, finishing 10th at the US Open.
“I would love to be a part of the team, but to be honest, I haven’t really played that well this year,” Johnson admitted.
Dustin Johnson claims that leaving PGA for LIV cost him a Ryder Cup spot.
“But have I performed well enough to make the team?” Yeah. I didn’t have a great year. Was it sufficient to make the team? “I believe so.”
US captain Zach Johnson did choose LIV’s Brooks Koepka for his American squad after he won his fifth major victory in May at the PGA Championship and finished second at the Masters, but he missed out on a guaranteed spot on the final day of qualification.
“I think I would have had a really good chance to make the team if I had played a little better in the majors,” Johnson told the Post. “But we just struggled a little bit in the majors this year, which happens.”
Johnson, 39, joined LIV for its inaugural event in June 2022 and earned US$35 million (S$47 million) in the circuit’s inaugural season, but has only five top-10 finishes in LIV events this year.
When you’ve been a part of teams for the last 12-14 years, you want to be a part of these events,” Johnson explained.
Johnson stated that he spoke with Zach Johnson at majors this year and expressed his wish to play for Zach’s squad.
“I told him I’d love to be a part of the team,” Johnson explained. “But, as I said, I didn’t play well enough, especially since I wasn’t on tour; I needed to really play well.”
When asked if he thought about LIV players, Zach Johnson stated they had a shot and there was “a guy on the team” in Koepka who “had that opportunity and seized it.”
Dustin Johnson said he remains friends with about half of the team that lives near him in South Florida and would definitely be watching when they try to retain the trophy in Italy in two weeks. AFP
