Dustin Johnson resigns from PGA Tour to play in rival LIV series

LONDON — Dustin Johnson said Tuesday he has joined several other golfers and resigned from the PGA Tour effective immediately, and he plans to play only LIV Golf events and major championships going forward.

Johnson, who has been a member of the PGA Tour since 2008, made the announcement in the opening news conference for LIV Golf's first event at Centurion Golf Club. Johnson said he'd carefully considered the decision over the last six months and felt it was the right one.

«For right now, I've resigned my membership on the tour and I'm going to play [LIV] for now,» Johnson said. «That's the plan.»

In February, Johnson released a statement through PGA Tour Communications saying he was fully committed to the tour, but he ultimately changed his mind.

«At that time, I was committed to playing the PGA Tour,» Johnson said. «I'm very thankful for the PGA Tour and everything it's done for me. I've done pretty well out there for the last 15 years. But this is something that was best for me and my family. It's something exciting and something new.»

Johnson said he fully expects to be able to play in the majors, including next week's U.S. Open at Brookline, Massachusetts. The USGA has not shown any indication that it would attempt to bar players who joined the LIV Golf Tour from its championships. Johnson has a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open because of his 2017 victory, and his 2020 Masters victory earned him five-year exemptions into the Open Championship and PGA Championship through 2026.

«I can't answer for the majors, but hopefully they're going to allow us to play,» Johnson said. «Obviously I'm exempt for the majors, so I plan on playing unless I hear otherwise.»

Johnson's 24 PGA Tour victories are the fourth most among