LIV Golf’s Dustin Johnson Believes He Was Worthy of a Ryder Cup Pick

In a recent interview, Johnson said he “would have made the team” if he had been playing on the PGA Tour.

It’s hard to fathom that the man who went 5-0 in the last Ryder Cup won’t be on the U.S. team this year in Rome. After his record performance at Whistling Straits, Dustin Johnson joined a list with just three other players to accomplish such a feat—one of them being Arnold Palmer. 

We’ll never know if Johnson would have furthered his place in Ryder Cup history this year at Marco Simone, because the LIV golfer didn’t get a pick from U.S. captain Zach Johnson. In a recent interview with The Palm Beach Post, the two-time major champion admitted he “didn’t have the best year” in 2023 but that if he was still playing on the PGA Tour, he likely would have gotten the nod.

“I would love to be part of the team,” the former U.S. Open champion said. “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.”

Dustin Johnson has played in five previous Ryder Cups but won’t be on the U.S. squad this year.  :: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Johnson joined LIV in June 2022. He won the league’s individual title during its inaugural season, and this year captured his second victory in May in Tulsa. The 39-year-old has recorded five top 10’s on the breakaway tour in 2023, but those results ultimately didn’t help his Ryder Cup case. 

Johnson recognizes that if he really wanted to make a statement for a captain’s pick, he would have needed to take advantage of the season’s four major championships. His LIV Golf peer, Brooks Koepka, did exactly that and will join 11 PGA Tour players to represent the U.S. in Rome. 

“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,” he said. “But just struggled a little bit in the majors this year, which happens." 

Johnson’s best finish in a major this season was a T10 at the U.S. Open. He posted a T48 at the Masters, T55 at the PGA and a missed cut at the British Open. Meanwhile, Koepka won the PGA Championship and posted a T2 at the Masters, a T17 at LACC and a T64 at the Open. Johnson’s 2023 major record might not have compared to his good friend and fellow LIV player, but he still thinks he would have been able to contribute to the U.S. team. 

“Do I think I can help the U.S. team? Absolutely,” he said.