Dustin Johnson on his PGA Tour slump: "I've got 2 months, I'm excited"

Dustin Johnson admits a two-month break from the sport could not have come soon enough after enduring a lacklustre couple of months on the PGA Tour. 

Johnson, 35, has not finished better than tied 20th in his last eight tournament starts, and despite starting the 30-man Tour Championship well off the pace in the adjusted scoring system, the former World No.1 finished tied last alongside Lucas Glover on 10-over par.

After signingfor a closing 3-over 73, Johnson revealed burnout as the best possible explanation for his wretched run of form since finishing runner-up to Brooks Koepka at the US PGA Championship in May. 

“I feel good and I’m swinging good, but mentally I think I'm just worn out,” Johnson told Golfweek on Sunday evening. 

Johnson picked up a quick early-season double in February when taking the Saudi International on the European Tour before going on to win the WGC-Mexico Championship to flag up his 20th PGA Tour title. 

But if truth be told since then, it's all been rather sluggish for a man who spent 64 consecutive weeks as World No.1 in 2017 - the fifth longest run of any player since records began.

Johnson made the cut in all but one of his final eight tournaments of the season, but never finished inside the top 20. He finished in a tie for 35th at the US Open and a tie for 51st at The Open. 

The big-hitting American appeared to turn a corner when firing an opening 63 at the Northern Trust, the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event, but he then finished the tournament with rounds of 74 and 73 to finish tied 24th, before going on to finish tied 57th at the BMW Championship.

Johnson then slumped to last place at East Lake, marking his longest stretch of tournament golf without a top-15 finish since 2008. 

“Every time I miss it’s in the wrong spot, and I’m just not making any putts,” said Johnson. “I feel like I’m hitting good putts. Just nothing’s going in the hole. I need a break, pretty much. That’s all it is.

“I got two months. I’m definitely excited about that.”

Johnson will likely next find himself in action at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China in October, and he will also be on Tiger Woods' US Presidents Cup team in Australia later this December.