Former World No.1 splits with TaylorMade after 18 years

It's the end of the road for TaylorMade and this former World No.1.

TaylorMade and two-time major champion Dustin Johnson have ended their relationship.

LIV Golf star and former World No.1 Dustin Johnson signed for TaylorMade when he turned pro in 2007 and has remained with the brand ever since, signing extensions to his deal in both 2016 and 2021, but he’s now an equipment free agent.

Johnson, who has always worn TaylorMade branding on his cap, was seen without the logo for the first time in his professional career during LIV’s season-opening event in Riyadh at the weekend. Instead, the 40-year-old was wearing 4Aces GC-branded headwear as he struggled to a T44 finish.

The American, who has tumbled to 578th in the world since joining LIV in a reported $200 million deal in 2022, won 24 PGA Tour titles, including the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters, during his time with TaylorMade and was held up alongside Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as one of the brand’s star athletes. Famed for his big hitting from the tee, he was the ideal poster boy for TaylorMade drivers and golf balls.

Johnson, who was just the third man in PGA Tour history to win at least one title in each of his first 13 seasons, first became World No.1 in February 2017 and has racked up a total of 135 weeks at the top of the rankings – the third highest of all time. Only Greg Norman (331) and Tiger Woods (683) have more, but Johnson could find himself nudged into fourth if current World No.1 Scottie Scheffler can remain there for ten more weeks.

TaylorMade confirmed to TG on Monday that his contract had expired at the end of 2024 and had not been renewed.

Despite that, Johnson continues to play TaylorMade clubs and ball, at least for now. He had the new Qi35 driver in the bag in Riyadh, Qi10 and Stealth fairway woods, DJ P730 Proto irons, and MG4 wedges. In fact, with him using a TaylorMade TP5x (2024 model) ball, the only non-TaylorMade equipment in his bag is his putter. He switched from the Spider Tour V to a Lab Golf DF3 at last year’s LIV Team Championship and it remains in the bag for 2025.

• Which Lab Golf Putter is right for you?

The end of Johnson’s TaylorMade deal marks the second long-standing contract that has ended for Johnson since moving to LIV, where he captains 4Aces GC. The former Ryder Cup star had been an adidas Golf ambassador, wearing the brand’s clothing and shoes for 15 years before he ended the agreement last season. Johnson and his teammates went on to sign a deal with Extracurricular.

Johnson is a three-time winner on LIV – Boston in 2022, Tulsa in 2023, and Las Vegas in 2024 – and won the individual standings in his first year, but has performed poorly in the Majors since switching to the Saudi-backed Tour. He finished T6 at The Open shortly after LIV’s launch but beyond a T10 at the 2023 US Open, he hasn’t finished higher than T31 and has missed three of the last five cuts.

TaylorMade sponsor a number of the game’s biggest stars on the PGA Tour and LPGA in 2025, including Scheffler, Woods, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Charley Hull, and Nelly Korda.