Dustin Johnson puts SGL speculation to rest, is ‘fully committed’ to PGA Tour

LOS ANGELES – In what is a big hit to the proposed rival tour, Dustin Johnson said Sunday that he’s “fully committed” to playing the PGA Tour.

In a statement through the PGA Tour Communication’s Twitter account, Johnson said that he won’t seek other opportunities with the Saudi-backed Super Golf League and is “grateful” to play on the PGA Tour.

“Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of speculation about an alternative tour, much of which seems to have included me and my future in professional golf,” he said. “I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest.

“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. While there will always be areas where our Tour can improve and evolve, I am thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA Tour golf’s premier tour.”

A 24-time PGA Tour winner, Johnson was thought to be one of the chief targets of the Super Golf League that will be fronted by Greg Norman. 

Johnson turns 38 this summer and has gone more than a year since his last worldwide victory, a surprising slide for a player who began last year as the world’s clear top-ranked player and now sits at No. 6. This week he missed the cut at Riviera, one of his favorite courses, where he had a win (2017) and nine other top-10 finishes in 14 career appearances

How much the breakaway circuit was weighing on Johnson in recent weeks is unknown.

When he competed earlier this month at the Asian Tour’s Saudi International, Johnson said that he was intrigued by some of the team elements of the proposed rival tour and thought it’d be better for fans. 

When asked if he’d take part in the new league, he said, “We’ll see,” and later added that he couldn’t disclose any offer he’d received, presumably because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Johnson’s shutdown of the SGL is another boost to the PGA Tour, which this week alone has received support from the top two players in the world, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa. World No. 4 Viktor Hovland also indicated this week that he didn’t plan to sign up for the other tour, joining the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, among others.