Dustin Johnson’s game has taken a hit since he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in June 2022.
Johnson was widely seen as the top player in the world until July 2021, but his form has noticeably dipped since then. Many believe the switch to LIV Golf played a part in that decline.
In terms of major championships, he has managed only two top-10 finishes and has missed the cut six times since joining LIV.
Despite that, Johnson is not ready to give up just yet. The 41-year-old still thinks he can get back to his best.
Johnson reckons he has got about six more years of high-level golf in him and naturally, another major title is high on his list of goals.
Right now, he sits at 639th in the world rankings. Of course, that number is a bit misleading these days since LIV players do not earn ranking points anymore.
Dustin Johnson claims OWGR are misleading
The OWGR put out a statement about LIV’s bid for ranking points towards the end of last year.
But it was pretty vague – more of a word salad than anything, with nothing concrete on where things actually stood.
The Governing Board has been thoroughly evaluating the LIV Golf application since late June.
The statement read: “We remain committed to the OWGR’s mission, which requires honouring the meritocracy woven into the professional game.
“As such, discussions have been regular and remain ongoing. To be clear, progress has been made, but there is no decision to share at this time.
“We will continue to work closely with LIV Golf as it continues to evolve to ensure its application is handled with fairness, integrity and consistency, as stated previously.”
You can take from that what you will. Johnson certainly believes LIV should have received recognition by now.
Speaking to Today’s Golfer, he did not hold back his thoughts on the situation.
“That’s obviously definitely going to be big, which, more my opinion, we should have already had them.
“But it’s looking like we’ll get them this year, starting for the first event, hopefully. I don’t know, I don’t sit on the board of the world rankings.“
Dustin Johnson feels world rankings are not reflecting his true level
Johnson went on to share where he feels he should be positioned in the world rankings at this stage of his career.
“Hopefully we do get them just because they don’t really reflect the actual standings of golf right now, with how Jon Rahm and Tyrrell [Hatton] and Joaquin [Niemann] and Bryson [DeChambeau],” Johnson explained.
“Myself, I’m like a thousand, I don’t even know (he’s 639th), with my play over the last little while, I would say [I’m] 40, 45. I haven’t played up to my standards. But somewhere around there.”
His estimate might be a bit high given recent form in major events, but his overall point about the need for more accurate rankings is not far off.
Rahm and DeChambeau are both among the world’s best players right now, no matter what their official rankings suggest. The current system just does not reflect that reality.
The game could benefit from finding some middle ground soon. And if LIV Golf ends up being awarded ranking points, it could help them attract even more top talent moving forward.
- READ MORE: Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton told there’s ‘no doubt’ whether they will play the next Ryder Cup
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