Dustin Johnson wins LIV Golf's individual title, $18 million bonus

Dustin Johnson’s move to LIV Golf, at least financially, has more than paid off.

Johnson officially clinched the season-long title on Sunday after LIV’s sixth tournament in Bangkok. Though there’s still two tournaments to go, and Johnson finished T16 in Thailand, he has 121 points in the season-long individual title — which officially secured the championship.

That means that Johnson, who has already won more than $12.7 million playing on LIV Golf, will take home an additional $18 million prize. That brings his winnings in the controversial Saudi Arabian-backed league to nearly $31 million.

That’s on top of the reported $125 million signing bonus he received when he jumped ship from the PGA Tour.

Each LIV Golf event features $25 million in prizes, with $4 million going to the individual winner. Johnson, per The Associated Press, has earned $12,758,600 with two events to go.

Johnson had won nearly $75 million playing on the PGA Tour throughout his career, behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The 38-year-old won 24 times while playing on the PGA Tour. He won two major championships, too, first at the 2016 U.S. Open and then at the Masters in 2020. He’s since won LIV Golf’s event in Boston and finished runner-up in two other events.

Johnson is one of the biggest names on the LIV Golf circuit. He ended 2021 ranked No. 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings, though he’s currently ranked No. 24 as OWGR points are still not awarded from LIV Golf events.

If you’re willing to overlook where that money is coming from — the bulk of criticism surrounding the league has to do with Saudi Arabia’s “sportswashing” — like Johnson has made clear he is, it’s hard to argue against his phenomenal year.