Dustin Johnson, a two-time major winner, has won the inaugural LIV Golf individual championship, the breakaway tour’s organisers announced on Monday.
In the first six events of the Saudi-backed series, the American has five top-10 finishes, including a dramatic victory at the LIV Golf Invitational Boston.
“Improving individual competition is critical,” Johnson said. “Being LIV’s first individual season champion is an honour.”
“The first chapter of LIV Golf’s history could not be written without Dustin Johnson’s name,” said LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, a former world number one.
“By any standard, DJ is among the world’s elite players.” He’s been a cornerstone of LIV Golf since the beginning. He has more than lived up to expectations, and he deserves a lot of credit for leading LIV to its first individual season title.”
LIV Golf has attracted some of golf’s biggest names, including Johnson, British Open champion Cameron Smith, and six-time major winner Phil Mickelson.
However, it has resulted in significant divisions within the game, with no world ranking points available to the rebels.
LIV golfers have been barred from competing on the US PGA Tour, preventing American players from qualifying for the Ryder Cup in 2023.
European stars who have left for LIV, including stalwarts Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Sergio Garcia, have all dropped down the world rankings and appear unlikely to make Luke Donald’s team for the two-yearly event near Rome.
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