LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson adamant he did enough to make US Ryder Cup team

Dustin Johnson believes he played well enough to make the US Ryder Cup team this month.

13 Sep 2023

LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson adamant he did enough to make US Ryder Cup team

LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson considers he did enough to make Zach Johnson's United States Ryder Cup team this month.

Johnson, who became the first American to go 5-0 at the Ryder Cup in 42 years last time out at Whistling Straits in 2021, believes one victory among five top-10 finishes in 11 events on the LIV Golf League this season - along with a T10 at the US Open - "was enough" to see him earn his way onto a sixth US Ryder Cup side.

But captain Zach Johnson decided to omit his namesake Johnson this time around, instead favouring Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns and the only LIV Golf player in Brooks Koepka as his six captain's picks.

DJ considers if he had been playing on the PGA Tour this season then he would have made his way into the team.

Dustin told Palm Beach Post:

"I would love to be a part of the team. But to be honest, I haven't really played that well, this year. But have I played well enough to be on the team? Yeah. I didn't have the best year. Was it good enough to make the team? I think so. If I would have been playing on (the PGA Tour), yeah, I would have made the team. Do I think I can help the US team? Absolutely."

Johnson made the shock move from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf League last season in a deal reportedly in the region of $125m.

The two-time major champion then went on to earn $35m in the first LIV Golf season, ending the year in style by winning the team championship in Miami.

Johnson currently ranks eighth in the LIV Golf League standings in 2023.

Despite notching a T10 at the US Open, Johnson finished T48 at The Masters, T55 at the US PGA and he missed the cut at The Open.

Those three lacklustre results in the majors ultimately are what cost Johnson his place in the US Ryder Cup team.

Dustin said:

"If I would have played a little better at the majors, I think I definitely would have had a really good chance to be on the team. But just struggled a little bit in the majors this year, which happens."

Although DJ missed out, he is eager to watch the US Ryder Cup team retain the trophy:

"We talked quite a good bit. Zach is a good friend of mine. So yeah, we talked. I told him I'd love to be on the team. But like I said, I didn't play quite well enough, especially not being on the Tour, I needed to really play well.

"I'm still buddies with all the guys. I see all of them, at least half the team lives down here in Jupiter.

"I'll definitely watch them, for sure."

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