Dustin Johnson says he still believes he can compete with the world’s top players as he prepares to tee it up at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The former world No. 1 is set to make his return to the DP World Tour, and he insists that his drive to compete has not faded.
Johnson made it clear that he is not thinking about retirement right now. Instead, he says his focus is on staying competitive and seeing how far his game can still take him.
“I don’t really have a timeline,” Johnson told Todays Golfer. “It’s just when I don’t enjoy it anymore. Like now, I still enjoy competing. I still want to compete. I still feel like my game is good enough to get back to the top of the golf. Once that goes away, that’s when I’ll stop.”
Johnson also knows that this season carries extra importance when it comes to the major championships. While he has a lifetime exemption into the Masters, his other exemptions are beginning to run out. His five-year major exemption from winning the Masters in 2020 has expired, and his ten-year US Open exemption from his 2016 win will also come to an end after this year.
“As long as I play well, I think I’ll get in,” Johnson said. “I want to play and compete. I still feel like I’m good enough to compete with the best. Obviously, this year is a big year. I need to play well. I’m looking forward to it.”
Johnson’s move to LIV Golf has also affected his world ranking, as the league does not offer Official World Golf Ranking points. He is now placed outside the top 600, which makes strong finishes even more important if he wants to secure spots in major fields.
His 2025 season on LIV ended with a 14th-place finish in the individual standings. The majors, however, were a struggle. He missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the US Open, with his best result being a tied 23rd finish at The Open.
Dustin Johnson explains what went wrong with his form
Dustin Johnson says his recent struggles did not come out of nowhere. He now believes he knows exactly when things started to slip and why it took so long to fix.
According to Johnson, the problems began two years ago after he won LIV Golf Las Vegas. Soon after that victory, he broke his driver, and from that point on, nothing quite felt the same.
“I literally spent the whole year trying to find a driver,” Johnson said. “For me, driving is probably the most important thing in my game. I was just struggling to find something that was consistent.”
That lack of stability began to affect other parts of his game too.
“If I was driving it good, I was a little off with my irons. If I hit my irons really good, my driver was off. I couldn’t find anything to match,” he said. “It’s been a little bit of a struggle, a little frustrating. But kind of knew what it was.”
Dustin Johnson said distance has never been his main issue. What hurt him most was losing trust off the tee.
“I’ve always been fairly long. I’m not the longest, the kids that come out these days are so long. I’m still long, but really straight. Just not having the confidence in that part of my game has really hurt it.”
His LIV Golf numbers reflect those challenges. He is currently hitting 58.57 percent of fairways and 65.97 percent of greens in regulation. His putting average stands at 1.59, while his driving distance is 315.7 yards.
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