One of the longest-standing gear sponsorships in professional golf has come to an end. As first reported by Golf Magic and confirmed by GOLF.com, TaylorMade Golf ended its 18-year equipment sponsorship with former World No. 1 Dustin Johnson at the end of 2024, when the contract expired.
Johnson first signed with TaylorMade when he turned professional in 2007 and had been a staple of the company’s tour staff since, winning 24 PGA Tour titles and two major championships using the brand’s gear. The 40-year-old has spent 135 weeks atop the Official World Golf Ranking in his career, the third most of all time behind Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.
The partnership had been extended twice, first in 2016, just before Johnson won his first major title at the U.S. Open, and then again in 2021 after he won the 2020 Masters.
Johnson continued to play TaylorMade clubs and wear TaylorMade headwear when he signed with LIV Golf in 2022, although he was noticeably absent from marketing campaigns and the TaylorMade website.
Johnson has won three LIV Golf events, one in each season, since joining the league, but LIV Golf events are not recognized by the OWGR and as a result, Johnson’s ranking has plummeted to 578th in the world. His last worldwide top-10 came at the 2023 U.S. Open and he missed two cuts in the four majors last season and didn’t fare better than a T31 at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
When Johnson made his season debut last week at LIV Golf Riyadh, despite gaming a new TaylorMade Qi35 driver, Johnson’s hat only showed his team’s 4Aces and New Era logos.
Before last season, Johnson ended a 15-year working relationship with Adidas and later that year announced his 4Aces team would be sponsored by the apparel brand Extracurricular. Johnson signed with Adidas when he turned pro as well, back when the company owned TaylorMade.
Playing as a gear free agent, Johnson opened with a 67 under the lights in the opening round at LIV Riyadh but faded over the final two rounds with a 73 and 74 to finish T44.
