"He really loved this event"- Jordan Spieth on Dustin Johnson missing Pebble Beach

Dustin Johnson is now a member of LIV Golf. However, before joining the Saudi-backed circuit, he was quite a regular on AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and has an impressive record here. He has won the event twice and has finished in the top 10s in eight of the 13 appearances.

The formation of LIV has not only led to conflict between the officials but has led to rifts and a cold war between players on both sides as well.

However, Dustin Johnson is one such player who is loved and admired by most of the players on the PGA Tour. It's not just fans who are missing Johnson on the Tour but his former peers as well with whom he has a good camaraderie.

Jordan Spieth, the favorite at this year's Pro-Am, spoke about Johnson during a pre-event press conference.

Spieth added that Johnson is a freak athlete and he loved playing at Pebble Beach. Furthermore, the 29-year-old expressed his admiration for playing alongside Johnson and his now father-in-law Wayne Gretzky for eight consecutive seasons of the Pro-Am. Here's what his statement reads:

"Well, I think he had, what does he have, 20, 21 or 22 [24] wins? Yeah, he's one of the Hall of Fame players," Jordan Spieth explained. "Somebody who guys, people, and the celebrities here really enjoyed being around. He’s a freak athlete that plays golf. He really loved this event.

"Loved playing with Wayne. We had a blast. I know that because we had a blast with him for, what, eight years I think we played with them. Eight or nine, we played together."

Spieth said he misses Johnson more because of his non-controversial image. He added that Johnson was very kind and believed in working his butt off, which resulted in his success at the US Open and the Masters.

"Just a Hall of Fame player that didn't create controversy with any other players and played on a bunch of Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams. Represented 'em really well. He was a friend of mine. He is a friend of mine. I just haven't seen him."

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Dustin Johnson withdraws from PIF Saudi International

Dustin Johnson has pulled out of PIF Saudi International citing back injury

Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from the Asian Tour's PIF Saudi International after he caught a back injury while practicing for the event.

As per reports, the 38-year-old was about to play his first tournament of the season at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. However, he tweaked his back during a practice round on Wednesday.

“Two-time champion Dustin Johnson has unfortunately had to withdraw ahead of the first round of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers after tweaking his back,” the statement from Asian Tour read.

The event will see LIV-associated golfers playing their first tournament of the season. World No. 4 Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, multiple major winner Brooks Koepka, and Masters champion Bubba Watson will feature in the fifth edition of PIF International.

Smith will be the top-ranked player in the event. This will be their chance to gain some ranking points considering the Saudi-backed circuit is barred from OWGR points.

The purse size of Saudi International is $5 million, which is the same as the ladies' event. The tournament will be telecasted live on the Golf Channel from Thursday onwards.