Overview
- Johnson withdrew from the Dundonald Links final qualifying field on Monday and will not play at Royal Birkdale, ending his run of consecutive major starts and his Open appearances since 2009.
- Johnson’s agent said the choice was logistical because LIV Golf has no UK events before the Open, which would have left him with a costly trip to Scotland and two weeks with no nearby competition.
- Having joined LIV in 2022, Johnson also lost automatic exemptions and World Ranking momentum, which forced him to seek a place via the one‑day, 36‑hole final qualifying that awards 20 spots into the Open.
- Final Qualifying concluded on Tuesday with 20 players advancing to Royal Birkdale, including three players with LIV affiliation — Peter Uihlein, Caleb Surratt and Josele Ballester — while other LIV members withdrew or failed to advance.
- The episode underscores a wider effect of LIV’s calendar gap this summer on players’ lives and careers because travel timing, missing ranking points at many LIV events and expiring exemptions are making majors harder to reach.