{"id":26461,"date":"2022-06-07T10:52:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T14:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26461"},"modified":"2022-06-07T10:54:04","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T14:54:04","slug":"dustin-johnson-resigns-from-pga-tour-ri-play-in-liv-invitational","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26461","title":{"rendered":"Dustin Johnson Resigns From PGA Tour To Play In LIV Invitational"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dustin Johnson (PA Wire\/PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dustin Johnson has resigned his membership of the PGA Tour to play the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, effectively ruling him out of the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson won all five of his matches in the United States\u2019 record 19-9 win over Europe at Whistling Straits last year, but may not appear in the biennial contest again going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh said last year: \u201cIf someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the US, they\u2019re going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the (PGA) Tour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion Club, two-time major winner Johnson said: \u201cI resigned my membership from the tour and I\u2019m going to play here. For now, that\u2019s the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the consequences are going to be I can\u2019t comment on how the tour\u2019s going to handle it. I can\u2019t answer for the majors but hopefully they\u2019re going to allow us to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cObviously I\u2019m exempt for the majors so I plan on playing there unless I hear otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll things are subject to change. The Ryder Cup is unbelievable and has definitely meant a lot to me. I\u2019m proud to say I\u2019ve played and represented my country and hopefully I will get a chance to do that again

buykamagrausa.com<\/a><\/p> , but I don\u2019t make the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graeme McDowell, whose Ryder Cup eligibility is tied to membership of the DP World Tour, said he had not felt the need to resign from the PGA Tour, although he admitted he did not want to get involved in a \u201clegal situation\u201d with the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn regards to the Ryder Cup, it\u2019s something I weighed up long and hard before I made the decision to come out here. I hope it doesn\u2019t affect that,\u201d said McDowell, who holed the winning putt at Celtic Manor in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you look at the European Tour and the players here have done a great amount for the Ryder Cup product and it would be a shame to see those guys not invited back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it healthy for the sport? This tour is designed to be an add-on to the greatest tours in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter are also among the 48-man field for the \u00a320million event at Centurion Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson said in February that he was \u201cfully committed\u201d to the PGA Tour, where he has won 24 times and around \u00a360million in prize money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the 37-year-old said he didn\u2019t want to \u201cplay golf for the rest of my life, which I felt like I was probably going to have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gives me opportunities to spend more time with my family and spend more time doing the things I love to do and it\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson will also compete at Centurion Club, despite describing the Saudis as \u201cscary m************\u201d and admitting he was well aware of the kingdom\u2019s \u201chorrible record on human rights\u201d, including the murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Khashoggi situation, we all agree that was reprehensible,\u201d McDowell said. \u201cNo-one\u2019s going to argue that fact but we\u2019re golfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really feel golf is a force of good in the world and I love using the game of golf as something to help grow around the world and be role models to kids. We\u2019re not politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf Saudi Arabia want to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, I think we\u2019re proud to help them on that journey, using the game of golf and the abilities we have to help grow the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked specifically how golf is helping repressed groups in Saudi Arabia, McDowell added: \u201cI wish I had the ability to be able to have that conversation with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs golfers if we tried to cure geopolitical situations in every country in the world that we played in, we wouldn\u2019t play a lot of golf. That\u2019s a really hard question to answer. We are just here to focus on the golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

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