Dustin Johnson turns his back on legacy all for the riches of golf’s ESL equivalent

Neil McLeman quizzes Poulter and Westwood on LIV Golf morals

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“I am fully-committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.” The words of former world No. 1, and golf superstar Dustin Johnson just four months ago. But 108 days later though, Johnson’s PGA Tour membership – and legacy – has been brushed aside in exchange for a leap in the dark payout.The payout in question is of course coming from what has proven to be the thorn in the side of golf’s morals, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series. The Champions League Final in football, Wimbledon in tennis, the Super Bowl in American Football. Every sport has its pinnacle that its competitors work tirelessly to reach, and golf is no different.

Only a small minority of sportsmen and women can ever say they have reached this monumental landmark, but Johnson is one that can. Not only has the 37-year-old competed and won on golf’s flagship’s circuit the PGA Tour – the American has also collected the sport’s most prestigious title in winning the Masters at Augusta back in 2020.

Becoming a champion at Augusta all but writes your name into the sport’s history books for good, but Johnson has just drawn a thick black line through deciding to follow Greg Norman and the fellow breakaway rebels. When news broke that the 37-year-old had been included on the entry list for the series last week, golf was left in a state of shock, but Johnson still had one more surprise up his sleeve.

The discussion over the consequences for those golfers who choose to make the Saudi switch from the PGA Tour have been up in the air for some time, with bans from the American-based circuit and the Ryder Cup the most talked about punishments. Johnson, though looked to take any banning order out of the question, after – in typical DJ fashion – calmly announcing he had made the remarkable decision to resign his PGA Tour membership at the LIV Series press conference on Tuesday.

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Just like that, the multi-millionaire star had traded 14 years, 24 wins, a US Open, a Masters green jacket and a FedEx Cup all in exchange for a spot on a scrutinised circuit, which by the majority is only seen as a failing sports washing campaign from the disgraced Saudi Arabian government. The rebel circuit mirrors what was seen in the world of football just two years earlier, after the sport’s biggest teams looked to trade the soul of their club, fans and the sport as a whole to join the so-called ‘European Super League’.

Despite being super by name it was not super by nature, as a proud fan revolt saw the idea disgraced and defeated in a matter of days. Golf however has not been so lucky, as Norman’s money-driven breakaway is here, and seemingly here to stay for the foreseeable. Like those presented by Florentino Perez 24 months ago, the figures on the table from the Saudi’s is staggering, and Johnson looks to be one of the main beneficiaries.

The American is reportedly set to collect over £100 million in appearance money, even before he has begun to compete for the £20 million prize fund on offer at each and every event. It is clear that the 37-year-old’s driving force to compete is the financial reward, with legacy and morality certainly not coming into it. However Johnson’s failure to admit that is what is most damning of all.

Speaking on why he chose to join the Saudi-backed circuit he said: “Ever since I was first introduced to this idea, I thought it was great for the game of golf. I was excited about a new format, a new kind of golf that I think is great for the game, is great for the fans, and I think it’s going to be very exciting. I’m excited about playing. There’s three rounds, no cut, it’s a shotgun start, so to me everyone is playing in the same conditions.”

It is hard to believe that playing a shotgun start event over 54 holes is Johnson’s main motivator in dropping all but everything he has worked for as a professional golfer, ahead of a signing on fee that is worth more than the great Tiger Woods’ combined PGA Tour career earnings.

For months and months, the idea of the LIV Series stomping its foot on the soul of the world of golf was just a feared thought at the back of the sport’s mind. Now, with the opening tee shot less than 24 hours away, and one of the world’s best turning their back on a monumental career and legacy, the dark cloud carried by Norman and co is now a damning reality.

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