‘Don’t care’: $200 million star’s savage slapdown

Former world No1. golfer Dustin Johnson says he “doesn’t care” about those who doubted his switch to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.

Johnson was paid about $200 million to defect from the PGA Tour to Greg Norman’s rival league, a move that saw him banned from the PGA Tour.

The 38-year-old, who has won both the Masters and US Open, features in the Netflix series Full Swing, which documents one of the most tumultuous years in the sport.

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Asked if he had a message for his critics, the 24-time PGA Tour tournament winner had a blunt response.

“I don’t really care,” he said.

“I have had a wonderful career on the PGA Tour and I am very proud of it and always will be.”

Johnson, who also picked up in the region of $50 million in prizemoney during LIV Golf’s inaugural season, had a simple reason for making the switch.

“Obviously now I have taken a different step in my life and career,” he said.

“The decision to join LIV came down to the offer they made me. For me it was playing less, making more money, pretty simple.

“Someone offers anyone a job, doing the same thing they’re already doing but less time at the office and they’re gonna pay them more. Pretty sure you’re gonna take it. And something’s wrong with you if you didn’t.”

Despite topping the LIV Golf earnings list in 2022, Johnson this week dropped out of the top-50 in the world rankings for the first time since January, 2010.

Johnson, who spent more than two years as world No.1, has paid the price for the fact that LIV events don’t attract rankings points.

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