Dustin Johnson had a week to forget on the Asian Tour (Image: Getty Images)
LIV Golf star Dustin Johnson had a rough week on the Asian Tour, missing the cut by three strokes at the PIF Saudi International.
The two-time champion of the Saudi event was playing his first tournament outside the LIV tour, excluding the majors, since joining the breakaway league in 2022.
His trip to the Middle East was an important one, as he was announced as an ambassador for Golf Saudi on Thursday. However, on the same day as the confirmation, Johnson scored a one-over-par 73, as he went on to miss the cut ahead of the weekend.
This would have been a hard hit for both Johnson and Golf Saudi, as he failed to make it past the halfway point at the Asian Tour event. His one-over performance in round two followed a one-under 71 the previous day.
The damage was inflicted on Thursday, especially at the par-four 16th where Johnson made a triple-bogey seven before he fell three shots short of the cut. After he missed the weekend’s action, his new ambassadorial role was then announced by Golf Saudi bosses.
“We are honoured to have Dustin taking on this role,” expressed Noah Alireza, CEO of Golf Saudi. “This will be central to our goal of expanding golf in Saudi Arabia and realising our dream of a future Saudi champion. Our Saudi pro-golfers – a record five of whom are competing in the PIF Saudi International this week – and our National Development team will benefit from year-round, hands-on learning from one of the game’s greatest.”
He continued: “Naturally, we’ll collaborate with DJ to innovate the future of golf, utilising his unparalleled expertise and understanding of the game to get more Saudis involved in golf.”
Johnson’s performance in the Middle East followed an average season on the LIV circuit by his high standards.
The American golfer – who clinched the LIV double in 2022 – ended the year 14th individually, securing a single victory in Las Vegas in March.
Reflecting on his year in Saudi Arabia this week, he confessed: “I’d say mediocre at best. It wasn’t quite up to the standards that I like, but I feel like the game’s starting to come around. It started to improve towards the end of the year, but yeah, I’m feeling good going into this season.”
Johnson, who won the Masters in 2020, is set to return to LIV competition in Riyadh next February, alongside a revamped 4Aces.
It was announced earlier this week that the 2022 Team champions had recruited European Ryder Cupper Thomas Pieters from Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats.