LIV Golf series champion Dustin Johnson has joked about his "regret" after taking his winnings in the rebel series to a mammoth £27 million.
The former world No 1 finished 16th in the latest LIV event in Bangkok, handing him an insurmountable 42-point lead over South Africa's Brandon Grace ahead of the final tournament in Jeddah this weekend. That bagged him a £16 million bonus to go with his winnings so far, having been boosted by his dramatic playoff win in Boston.
The 38-year-old sent shockwaves through the sport in June when he signed for Greg Norman for a reported fee in the region of £100 million. Unlike the majority of defectors who are still bidding to play in PGA Tour events, Johnson immediately announced he was resigning his card to focus solely on his new venture.
Addressing the media in Saudi Arabia, the two-time major champion was asked to assess his time with LIV Golf, with the organisation the subject of true division within the sport. And he offered a sarcastic response when asked about the move to the Saudi-backed series.
Johnson replied: "We talked about this yesterday. I really regret my decision to come here. It's just so terrible. I'm sitting there last night thinking about it, it was really bothering me a lot. Yeah, [I] just can't get over it."
The American's playing partners, Graeme McDowell and Harold Varner III were also amused, with the latter failing to conceal his laughter before Johnson too broke into a chuckle. The 4 Aces trio currently lead the team standings, meaning Johnson's windfall is still likely to increase significantly.
But 'DJ' wasn't fooling around when he warned the status quo of LIV's escalating threat: "I think the media and everybody is starting to finally catch on that this is not a joke, it's real golf, and we've got some of the best players in the world," he said. "Obviously we don't have all of them, but we've got enough of them."
Rebel stars have been left incensed after the OWGR stalled the prospect of LIV events being granted ranking points. As it stands, those to have signed with Norman risk not qualifying for major championships next year as they plummet down the world order, a notion criticised this week by McDowell.
The future of the Ryder Cup is also unclear, with the iconic team event set to be severely devalued if those who defected are banned from playing. In 2021, Johnson won five points from five as Team USA routed to a win over Team Europe.
