AMERICAN DECIDES TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE GAME

Dustin Johnson out of Ryder Cup

 due to 'personal challenges'

By Iain Carter BBC golf correspondent

Big-hitting American Dustin Johnson will miss next month's Ryder Cup after announcing he is taking time out of the game to confront "personal challenges".

Johnson hopes the break will improve his "mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation".
The 30-year-old, pictured, will not play the US PGA Championship at Valhalla  and will also miss the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
Johnson was the only unbeaten United States player when Europe triumphed at Medinah two years ago.

Johnson, who finished 12th at this summer's Open at Royal Liverpool, will take his leave of absence with immediate effect.

"I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced," he said.
"By committing the time and resources necessary to improve my mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation, I am confident that I will be better equipped to fulfil my potential and become a consistent champion."
Johnson also pleaded for privacy "as I embark on this mission of self-improvement".
As well as missing the final major of the year and the Gleneagles showdown, which runs from 26-28 September, Johnson will also sit out the lucrative PGA Tour play-off series.
Lying fifth for the nine automatic spots in the American team, he was virtually certain of his place in the US Ryder Cup side.

Johnson played in the final group in the third round of the 2014 Open with eventual champion Rory McIlroy, but shot 71-72 over the weekend to tie for 12th

"We will certainly miss Dustin Johnson at Gleneagles, and we wish him the best," US captain Tom Watson said.
"As one of the longest hitters in the game with an undefeated record of 3-0 at Medinah in 2012, he has clearly been an asset for the United States team. That said, the United States is a team with an abundance of talent."
Johnson pulled out of the 2012 Masters citing a back injury caused by lifting a jet ski. He missed three months of the season.
The US PGA Tour said: "We have nothing to add to Dustin's statement, but we wish him well and look forward to his return to the PGA Tour in the future." 

SPECULATION ON REASON FOR DUSTIN

JUSTIN'S SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT
 
FROM THE GOLF CHANNEL WEBSITE
The timing of Dustin Johnson’s announcement that he is “taking a leave of absence from professional golf, effective immediately” surprised many, but it is the context of his statement that will likely draw the most scrutiny.
In a two-paragraph release, Johnson referenced “personal challenges” that he was facing and his plan to commit “(t)he time and resources necessary to improve my mental health, physical well-being and emotional foundation, I am confident that I will be better equipped to fulfill my potential and become a consistent champion.”
Some US PGA Tour observers have speculated that Johnson had violated the circuit’s anti-doping policy and his absence was Tour imposed, but neither Johnson nor the Tour indicated that was the case.
In a statement the Tour would say only, “We have nothing to add to Dustin’s statement. But wish him well and look forward to his return to the PGA Tour in the future.”
It is the Tour’s policy to announce violations of the anti-doping policy if the substance is considered performance enhancing, as it did in 2013 when Vijay Singh admitted to using a banned substance in a Sports Illustrated article.