Dustin Johnson "emphatically denies" disparaging comments about PGA Tour chief

25 April 2023 , 10:34

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Dustin Johnson is one of LIV Golf's biggest names (Image: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

LIV Golf heavyweight Dustin Johnson has denied making a brutal remark about PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan - with Pat Perez taking ownership of the quotes.

Johnson is one of LIV Golf's biggest names after resigning from the PGA Tour 10 months ago. The rise of LIV Golf has divided the sport, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) controversially funding the tour. It is seen as a direct rival to the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf stars have clashed with Monahan in the past, with the PGA Tour chief forcing them to quit if they accepted big bucks from the Saudis. Yet Johnson's agent David Winkle has acted decisively to quash any rumours of a row between Johnson and Monahan.

Johnson was misquoted after a LIV Golf event in Adelaide, Austria last weekend. The two-time major winner allegedly said: "We don’t give a damn how he [Monahan] feels. We know how he feels about us, so it’s mutual."

Yet these quotes belong to Johnson's LIV Golf colleague Perez, who won three PGA Tour events before joining the upstart. Wrinkle has contacted various media outlets to put the record straight on Johnson's behalf.

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The agent claimed: "Earlier today, multiple outlets reported an erroneous quote from Dustin Johnson, which contained disparaging remarks about the PGA Tour and specifically commissioner Jay Monahan. I spoke with Dustin from Singapore this morning at which time he emphatically denied making any such statement.

Johnson did not make any comments about Jay Monahan (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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"He elaborated by saying his actual response to the question was 'no comment' but mentioned that others interviewed may have answered differently. Dustin remains grateful for his time on the PGA Tour and has the utmost respect for commissioner Monahan."

Perez has also clarified the situation to Sports Illustrated. He said: "DJ said nothing, it was all me. I said we don’t care what Jay thinks cause we know how he feels about us and when I say WE, I mean me. I can’t speak for the whole group."

The rise of LIV Golf has sent shockwaves through the sport. The tour is fronted by CEO Greg Norman, the two-time Open champion, but bankrolled by Saudi Arabia. That has caused controversy due to the country has a poor human rights record.

Pat Perez has taken ownership of the comments (Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Images)

Thanks to Saudi investment, LIV Golf are able to offer its stars huge sums of prize money. For example, Matt Fitzpatrick took home $3.6million (£2.9m) for winning this month's RBC Heritage - one of the PGA Tour's biggest events - but Talor Gooch received a cheque for $4m (£3.2m) after winning a LIV Golf event in Adelaide last weekend.

LIV Golf's huge purse has taken the likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith and Henrik Stenson away from the PGA Tour.

As such, the PGA Tour is no longer guaranteed to attract golf's biggest names, triggering a civil war. Six-time major winner Mickelson said in October: "I think going forward you have to pick a side. You have to pick what side do you think is going to be successful."

Tom Blow