Dustin Johnson to Miss First Open Championship Since 2009

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

Dustin Johnson’s long Open Championship appearance streak is ending. BBC Sport reports that the two-time major winner will miss his first Open since making his debut in 2009 after withdrawing from final qualifying. The source does not state the reason for the withdrawal, only that he has pulled out and will not be in the championship field through that route.

Why it matters:

This is a field-shaping absence more than a standard qualifying note. Johnson has been part of the Open landscape every year since 2009, and a run that long creates its own tournament context. Even when a player is not framed as the central favorite, a two-time major winner changes the texture of a major championship field because of experience, profile and the possibility of a high-ceiling week.

Tournament impact:

The confirmed consequence is that the Open loses one of its most recognizable major champions before the first round. It also opens space in the qualifying picture that would otherwise have been tied to Johnson’s attempt to play his way in. The BBC summary does not provide the full final qualifying structure, replacement mechanics, or field list implications, so the precise downstream movement should not be overstated. The clean takeaway is narrower: Johnson’s path through final qualifying is over, and his Open streak is over with it.

What changed:

Before the withdrawal, the story was whether Johnson could extend a run that began with his 2009 debut. After it, the focus shifts to the end of that continuity. Major streaks are a useful measure of staying power because they require form, eligibility, health, scheduling and commitment to line up over many years. The source only confirms the final break in the chain, not which factor drove it.

What to watch:

The obvious follow-up is whether more detail emerges about why Johnson withdrew from final qualifying. Without that, it would be careless to frame the decision as injury-related, form-related, schedule-related, or strategic. The other watch point is the Open field itself: with Johnson absent, the championship loses a player whose major record alone would have drawn attention in any pairing sheet.

Bigger picture:

For fans tracking major championship trends, this is another reminder that even long-running presences can disappear suddenly at the qualifying stage. The Open’s identity is partly built on deep fields and multiple routes in, and Johnson’s withdrawal underlines how fragile those routes can be. A player can be a two-time major winner and still face a hard stop before the tournament proper.

Confidence:

Confirmed by BBC Sport: Dustin Johnson will miss his first Open Championship since his 2009 debut after withdrawing from final qualifying, and he is a two-time major winner. The supplied source does not confirm the reason for withdrawal, the venue details, the qualifying field consequences, or whether Johnson made any public comment.