TaylorMade parts ways with LIV Star Dustin Johnson

It’s confirmed! TaylorMade and Dustin Johnson have parted ways after almost 18 years of association. The golf equipment manufacturing giant has confirmed to GolfMagic that they are ending their long-term deal with 'DJ'.

A TaylorMade spokesperson spoke with GolfMagic editor Andy Roberts to confirm the latest development:

“Yes, we no longer have rights to Dustin Johnson.”

Despite this being a huge development for the entire golfing circuit, it has not come as a surprise to all those golf fans who keep their eyes on day-to-day affairs in golf. It does not come across as a surprise because when Johnson took to the course in Riyadh last week for the opening LIV Golf League event of the year, he wasn’t wearing a TaylorMade cap for the first time since he became a pro.

On the contrary, Johnson was wearing his LIV Golf team 4Aces GC logo on his cap in Riyadh. ‘DJ’ finished the Riyadh event with a disappointing T44 following rounds of 67, 73, and 74.

TaylorMade and Dustin Johnson – It all started in 2007

Dustin Johnson decided to join LIV Golf in a reportedly $125 million deal and gave up his PGA Tour card in 2022. This decision cost Johnson his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), as LIV Golf is not considered for player rankings. After some unexpected results at Majors, Johnson slid to 578th on the latest OWGR rankings list. Because of his move to LIV Golf, Johnson also had to end his 15-year apparel deal with Adidas last year.

TaylorMade and Dustin Johnson first joined hands in 2007 when Johnson turned professional. After this professional association, Johnson went on to win 24 PGA Tour titles, including the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters. During that period, Johnson also achieved a unique feat by becoming only the third player in PGA Tour history to win a Tour title in each of his first 13 seasons.

Not only that, this association also saw Johnson remain World No.1 for 135 weeks, placing him just behind Greg Norman (331 weeks) and Tiger Woods (683 weeks). Johnson’s current deal with LIV Golf will likely cost him this achievement as well, as current World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is coming close with 126 weeks at No.1 in the OWGR rankings. If everything goes well for Scheffler, he might overtake Dustin Johnson in April after The Masters.

Both TaylorMade and Johnson extended their deal in 2016 and then again in 2021. Since this association has just ended, Johnson still has a number of TaylorMade golf clubs in his bag for this season.

Scottie Scheffler, who is expected to overtake Johnson in the number of weeks spent at No.1, has TaylorMade as his sponsor. Along with him, some big names in golf, like Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Charley Hull, and Nelly Korda, also use TaylorMade products.