Dustin Johnson is a man of few words. He has built his career with enormous talent, winning 31 times professionally and being the world No. 1 for 135 weeks (2017). But now, as he watches his scores slip and his ranking dip to 957th, he has found himself offering more explanations and searching for more answers. Yet even as the results waver, Johnson remains convinced that his game is trending in the right direction.

That optimism was on display after the second round in Andalucia, where Johnson carded a seven-under to be placed solo second heading into the final day. Johnson had a rocky start at the opening round after he carded a 4-over round, but made up for it on Saturday and is now four shots behind the leader, Talor Gooch. But the kicker here is that this was Johnson’s best performance in months. His last win on LIV Golf was in February last year in Vegas, and this year he has barely scored 37 points in 9 events. Still, Johnson remains defiant.

Reflecting on his recent struggles, he admitted, “It definitely gets frustrating when you feel like you’re playing really good golf, you’re just not getting the results that you think you should be getting with the way you’re playing and the way you’re swinging at it… I’ve just been working on it, and yeah, I feel like the game’s… you know, the swing is really good. I’ve been seeing a lot of… been hitting a lot of really good shots.” He added, “It just seems like every time I miss one, it’s always in the wrong spot or at the wrong time… Today I finally did hit every shot great, but you know my misses were in the right spot.” Johnson insisted that despite his performances, he sees enough signs to stick to his path and implied that sometimes luck hasn’t been in his favor.

But the reality is harder to ignore, as Johnson’s form over the past year has been among the worst stretches of his career. He has slipped well outside the conversation of golf’s elite, as even his performance in the majors has been nothing short of disastrous. This year, Johnson didn’t make the cut in any of the majors he played in.

It first started at the Masters. He had missed the cut for the second time in a row. This time, he carded rounds of 74 & 73 and had a similar level of optimism about his game, like he has now. “Yeah, I’m playing better than I scored for sure. Didn’t score very well. Yeah, tough finish there. Played pretty solid all day until the last two holes,” Johnson said to the media at Augusta. He, however, continued his poor form at the PGA Championship in May. He carded an opening round of 7-over and finished 12-over par for two days, well outside the cut line. He even missed the cut at the U.S. Open for the second year in a row.

While he may have his reasons for poor finishes, many observers believe that his move to LIV may be the reason behind his decline.

Dustin Johnson’s move to LIV could be the reason

With 24 PGA Tour wins and two major championships—the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 2020 Masters, where he set a tournament scoring record at 20-under-par—Johnson established himself as one of the most dominant players of his generation. His calm on-course demeanor helped him notch 21 top ten finishes in majors over more than a decade. Johnson was also a near-permanent fixture atop the Official World Golf Ranking, holding the No. 1 spot for over 135 weeks in total, the fifth-most in history. But since joining LIV Golf in 2022, Johnson’s performances have noticeably declined, particularly in the majors.

He initially maintained strong form, even finishing T10 at the 2023 U.S. Open—his presence in the biggest events has steadily faded. Since making the move to LIV Golf, the 40-year-old has struggled to find rhythm or consistency. He’s recorded only a handful of top-10 finishes. The LIV format offers fewer tournaments, shorter rounds, and less frequent competition against the world’s best, and it may be the reason why Johnson’s competitive edge is eroding. Unlike the PGA Tour grind, LIV lacks the week-to-week pressure that sharpens a player’s game, especially in high-stakes scenarios.

As Johnson now finds himself outside the conversation of major contention, questions have emerged about whether the lucrative but lower-intensity environment is costing him the very edge that once made him great.