Dustin Johnson sinks to remarkable career low on eve of 2024 LIV Golf season
LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson has now fallen out of the top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since 2008.
Dustin Johnson has slipped outside the top 200 players in the world rankings for the first time since 2008.
On 29 January, Johnson fell to 202 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Unsurprisingly, the rapid decline is owing to his move to the lucrative LIV Golf League, which begins their third campaign this week in Mayakoba.
LIV were officially denied their bid for OWGR accreditation last October, meaning it has been increasingly difficult for their players to qualify for golf's four major championships.
Johnson - who previously spent 135 weeks as the World No.1 - hasn't had to worry too much in this regard.
The American, now 39 years old, is guaranteed a spot in the Masters for life thanks to his 2020 victory at Augusta National.
He's also be eligible to compete at the U.S. Open until 2026 given he was granted a 10-year exemption into the major after his controversial victory at Oakmont in 2016.
Johnson eventually won the major by three strokes but he was assessed a one-shot penalty during the final round.
His golf ball clearly moved as he lined up a par putt on the fifth green. Initially, it appeared the USGA wasn't going to issue the penalty.
The farce prompted Rory McIlroy to take to Twitter and post: "This is ridiculous".
The aforementioned Masters win also guarantees Johnson spots into the 2024 Open at Royal Troon and PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Johnson, like many LIV players, have been critical of the OWGR situation over the past two years.
The golfer, married to Paulina Gretzky, labelled the rankings 'skewed' if the 48 players who tee it up in LIV events are excluded.
In a letter addressed to LIV chief executive Greg Norman, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said the board determined it could not fairly measure the 48-man league with the other 24 tours around the world.
"We are not at war with them," Dawson told the AP of the official decision to deny LIV.
"This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical.
"LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked.
"They're just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them."
Johnson saw the situation differently.
"I feel like you can't really use the world ranking system system anymore," Johnson told reporters when he heard of LIV's rejected bid.
"That's my take on it. [It is] hard to use the world ranking if you're excluding 48 guys that are good players. The rankings are skewed."
Johnson will be hoping to improve on what could be described as an underwhelming year of performances on the course in 2023.
In the majors, Johnson's best finish came when he posted a T-10 at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
His missed the cut at the 51st Open, finished T-48 at the Masters and T-55 at the PGA Championship.
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