Dustin Johnson has resigned his membership of the PGA Tour to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series, effectively ruling him out of the Ryder Cup.
Johnson won all five of his matches in the United States’ record 19-9 win over Europe at Whistling Straits last year, but may not appear in the biennial contest again going forward.
PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh said last year: “If someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the US, they’re going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the (PGA) Tour.”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion Club, two-time major winner Johnson said: “I resigned my membership from the Tour and I’m going to play here, for now. That’s the plan.
“What the consequences are going to be I can’t comment on how the Tour’s going to handle it. I can’t answer for the majors but hopefully they’re going to allow us to play.
“Obviously I’m exempt for the majors so I plan on playing there unless I hear otherwise.
“All things are subject to change. The Ryder Cup is unbelievable and has definitely meant a lot to me. I’m proud to say I’ve played and represented my country and hopefully I will get a chance to do that again, but I don’t make the rules.”
Graeme McDowell, whose Ryder Cup eligibility is tied to membership of the DP World Tour, said he had not felt the need to resign from the PGA Tour, although he admitted he did not want to get involved in a “legal situation” with the organisation.
“In regards to the Ryder Cup, it’s something I weighed up long and hard before I made the decision to come out here. I hope it doesn’t affect that,” said McDowell, who holed the winning putt at Celtic Manor in 2010.
“When you look at the European Tour and the players here have done a great amount for the Ryder Cup product and it would be a shame to see those guys not invited back.
“Is it healthy for the sport? This Tour is designed to be an add-on to the greatest tours in the world.”
Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter are also among the 48-man field for the £20million event at Centurion Club.
Who is going to play?
Phil Mickelson will join a 48-man field that also includes two-time major winner Dustin Johnson and former European Ryder Cup stars such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.
Former major winner Louis Oosthuizen is also involved as well as former British Masters champion Richard Bland and PGA Tour veteran Kevin Na, who resigned from that circuit last week.
What is the format?
Individual and team events will run alongside each other across three rounds of golf.
The individual event, which has no cut, will see all 48 players competing in a traditional stroke play format, with the lowest 54-hole total being declared the winner.
Groups will tee off simultaneously on different holes in a 'shotgun' start.
In the four-man team event there will be an LIV appointed team captain who will select three players to join them via a snake draft format.
For the first two rounds, the best two stroke play scores will count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count, with the lowest overall team score after 54 holes being named the team winner.
How much prize money is up for grabs?
The Centurion tournament boasts a total prize fund of $25 million, with the winner receiving $4m (£3.2m) - considerably more than the $2.7m awarded to Scottie Scheffler for his victory at The Masters, while every player is guaranteed at least $120,000 just for completing 54 holes.
This is the first of eight LIV Golf events scheduled for this year with plans to expand to 14 in the coming years. An Individual Champion will be crowned at the end of those events, with a $30m fund distributed for the top three players of the season, providing they have played in a minimum of four tournaments.
The prize purse doubles for the season finale in Miami and sees $50m allocated between each of the 12 four-man teams. Each player receives a 25 per cent cut of team earnings, with $16m awarded to the winning team and $1million for the team finishing 12th.
