Dustin Johnson continued to have the most lucrative year of his golf career after he was named LIV golf’s individual Champion for the inaugural season, adding another $18 million to his bank account.
The two-time major winner finished tied for 16th during the circuit’s latest event in Bangkok after a final round of five-under-par 67 gave him an insurmountable 42-point lead over the second-placed Branden Grace of South Africa.
Winning an event adds a maximum of 40 points to a player’s total, confirming Johnson’s place as the inaugural winner.
After a slow start, the American finished in the top five in four of the previous five events, taking home $4 million for his only win of the series in Boston in September.
“Locking up the individual competition is big. It’s an honour to be LIV’s first individual season champion,” Johnson said.
Patrick Reed sits in third in the overall standings while British Open champion Cameron Smith is in the fourth spot. The runner-up will be awarded $8 million while the third-placed player earns $4 million.
“The first chapter of LIV Golf’s history could not be written without Dustin Johnson’s name,” LIV chief executive Greg Norman said.
“By any measure, DJ is among the elite players in the world. From the start he’s been an LIV Golf cornerstone. He has more than lived up to his billing and deserves immense credit.”
The massive prize money Dustin Johnson received for being named LIV Golf’s Individual Champion continues the trend of massive paydays for golfers who have switched allegiances from the PGA Tour to the new league.
Johnson made a little under 75 million dollars for the 307 events he played on the Tour but has winnings of $27,758,600 from just six LIV events on top of the 100 million dollar contract that he allegedly signed to switch to the league.
