Dustin Johnson isn’t backing down. The former world No. 1 has sent a message to Scottie Scheffler and others after committing to LIV Golf, declaring he can return to the sport’s pinnacle despite falling to 639th in the world rankings.

Dustin Johnson told Today’s Golfer he still feels his game is “good enough to get back to the top of golf,” adding, “If I play well, I think I’ll get into them (the majors). I want to play and compete. I still feel like I’m good enough to compete with the best. Obviously, this year is a big year. I need to play well.  I’m looking forward to it.”

Johnson’s place in the majors is precarious. He is exempt to play the Masters for life, thanks to his 2020 win, but his five-year exemption to compete in the other three majors, which came from his win at Augusta National, has ended. He is also eligible for the US Open this year because of his 2016 win, but the decade-long exemption will expire after this year.

83% of our readers couldn't break par yesterday

Changing winds, tricky bunkers, and quirky breaks test every shot. Beat par, compare scores, and return tomorrow for a new challenge.

TEE OFF HERE↗

Johnson recently signed a multiyear extension to remain with LIV Golf as the 4Aces captain. Since joining LIV in 2022, his game at the big stage has slipped, and he missed the cut in six of his last nine major appearances.

In 2024, his best major finish was T31 at The Open, and then he missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open in 2025. His best finish last season was T23 at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. This goes to show how hard it is for him to consistently compete, unlike his earlier major wins, that is, the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters. However, in 54-hole matches, his performances were okay. He has five top-10 finishes in the 2025 season, the best of which was a third-place finish at LIV Golf Indianapolis.

Dustin Johnson didn’t directly name Scottie Scheffler, but his comments from the 2025 Open Championship make it clear that he knows who the best golfer is. DJ openly praised Scheffler’s play, saying, “Scottie is playing really solid right now.”

This isn’t the first time DJ has set high standards for his season. He did something similar at the beginning of 2025. He mentioned feeling that his game is really close to where it was when he was playing really well.

“It’s golf; it’s hard to keep up that form all the time. But it is very close to getting back to where I want it to be,” he said a year ago.  “The game is good enough. Hopefully, this will be the year. 2025.  I’m going to get after it this year and put in the work.  Hopefully, I can compete in the majors.”

Playing in majors and winning them is a great deal for DJ, as per his 2020 interview with Golf Digest. Now, the question looms: whether he can challenge Scheffler’s and other pros’ dominance in the 2 majors he will play this year.

Inside Dustin Johnson’s swing struggles

Dustin Johnson broke his driver, the club he trusted most to be consistent, after winning at LIV Golf Las Vegas in 2024. After that, he had a hard time finding a replacement that felt right, which hurt his confidence and rhythm on the course. Johnson said that hitting the driver well is very important to his success, and not being able to do so all the time had a ripple effect.

“I have days where I drive it really well, but I’m having trouble finding a driver that matches up with the rest of the game,” he said, pointing out how this mismatch hurt his performance.

It wasn’t distance that hurt him, as Johnson still hits the ball a long way off the tee, but trust and stability. When he didn’t trust his driving, other parts of his game suffered. Even good iron play couldn’t make up for it, leaving his scores uneven and making him angry.

These problems show up in his LIV Golf numbers. He only hit about 58.6 percent of fairways and 65.97 percent of greens in regulation in 2025. He had a 1.59 putting average and a 315.7-yard driving distance, which means he was good at distance but not so good at finding the fairway.