Why Dustin Johnson retired from the PGA Tour and sacrificed the Ryder Cup
Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson has retired from the PGA Tour to play in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The 37-year-old American announced last week he would be attending the first event of the Saudi Arabia-backed rebel tour at the Centurion Club in St Albans, having previously spurned their advances.
LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament is set to start on Thursday with a prize pool of almost £20million.
Fellow Rebels Kevin Na announced on Saturday that he had resigned from the PGA Tour ahead of the Hertfordshire event and now Johnson, who has $74 million in career winnings over the course of his career, has followed suit.
Johnson said: “Obviously at this point it’s hard to know what the ramifications will be, but right now I’m governing my membership with the (PGA) Tour.
“I’ll be playing here for now and as far as the consequences go, I can’t say how the tour will deal with it.
“I don’t want to play for the rest of my life, it gives me the opportunity to do what I want to do.”
Johnson has eliminated himself from Ryder Cup selection after resigning from the PGA Tour.
The 2020 Masters champion has twice been on the winning side for the United States, including at last year’s edition of Whistling Straits.
He added: “The Ryder Cup is incredible and has meant a lot to me, but ultimately I’ve decided this is what’s best for me and my family.
“All things can change and hopefully that will change at some point and I’ll get the chance to do that again.”
MORE : Tiger Woods turned down $1 billion offer to join Saudi Arabia-backed golf’s rebel series
MORE : Phil Mickelson risks lifetime PGA Tour ban by signing up for Saudi Arabia-backed event
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/07/golf-why-dustin-johnson-resigned-pga-tour-sacrificed-ryder-cup-16784172/ Why Dustin Johnson retired from the PGA Tour and sacrificed the Ryder Cup