Adidas Golf "Parting Ways with Johnson and Garcia"

Contract Termination with Saudi Capital LIV Golf Players

Adidas Golf has ended its contractual relationships with players affiliated with LIV Golf, which is backed by Saudi Arabian capital.

Dustin Johnson

On the 22nd (local time), Adidas Golf announced, "We have mutually agreed to terminate the contract with Dustin Johnson (USA), with whom we have maintained a sponsorship relationship for over 15 years." Johnson had been sponsored by Adidas Golf since his debut on the PGA Tour in 2008. Failing to renew the contract, he will compete without the Adidas Golf logo starting from the first LIV Golf 2023 season tournament opening this weekend in Mexico. Adidas Golf also decided not to renew its sponsorship contract with Sergio Garcia (Spain), whose contract has ended.

However, it is difficult to say that Adidas Golf parted ways with the two players because of their move to LIV Golf. Citing an anonymous source, Golf Channel reported, "In Johnson's case, the split with Adidas Golf was due to disagreements over shirts." Adidas Golf continues to sponsor PGA Tour players such as Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele (both USA), Tyrrell Hatton (England), as well as LIV Golf members Joaqu?n Niemann (Chile).

Johnson is a global star who once held the world No. 1 ranking for 135 weeks, powered by his powerful long drives. In 307 tournaments, he has won 24 times including 2 major championships, earning a total of $74,897,059. He moved to LIV Golf last year and won the Invitational Boston tournament in September.

Garcia emerged like a comet in 1999 at the age of 19 by finishing runner-up at the major PGA Championship. While also competing on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), he accumulated 11 wins on the PGA Tour. In 2017, he won his first major championship at the Masters.