Dustin Johnson: Former world No.1 in shock split

Dustin Johnson’s long-standing relationship with equipment sponsor TaylorMade is over.

Hot on the heels of Johnson’s appearance in LIV Golf’s season-opener in Riyadh, it has been confirmed that the two parties have gone their separate ways after 17 years together.

A TaylorMade spokesperson has confirmed to us that the two-time major champion’s contract with the brand expired at the end of 2024 and bunkered.co.uk understands that he is currently a free agent.

Johnson finished T44 out of the 54 men who pegged it up under the lights in Saudi Arabia last week, where he was pictured using a new TaylorMade Qi35 driver.

• R&A makes decision on LIV Golf exemptions

• LIV Golf announces major format change for 2025

However, the company’s logo was missing from the visor of his cap, where it had been on his most recent competitive outing at the LIV Golf Team Championship in Dallas last September.

In its place in Riyadh was the logo of Johnson’s 4Aces LIV franchise.

Johnson had been on TaylorMade’s books ever since he turned professional following the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down.

• Tom McKibbin explains decision behind LIV Golf move

• Legendary caddie takes aim at Tom Kim over slow play

He won his first PGA Tour victory at the Turning Stone Resort Championship in 2008 and went on to win in 15 of the 16 seasons he spent on the US-based circuit prior to him joining LIV in 2022.

Top-10 finishes accounted for more than a third of his results on the PGA Tour.

Johnson signed contract extensions with TaylorMade in both 2016 and 2021 but, revealingly, his name and image has already disappeared from the ‘Team TaylorMade’ section of the brand’s website.

• Get more from Dustin Johnson in the latest edition of bunkered, issue 219, on-sale now from all good newsagents. Alternatively, take out a subscription here. International subscriptions also available.