Dustin Johnson underwent ‘routine’ knee surgery, will return to PGA Tour this fall
Dustin Johnson underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee on Thursday, his team announced, though he is expected to make a full recovery and return to the PGA Tour this fall.
The 20-time PGA Tour winner and current World No. 3 wrapped up his 12th season on Tour last month.
“He is now resting comfortably and is expected to make a full recovery before returning to competition later this fall,” Johnson’s team said in a statement, via CBS Sports. “The procedure is considered routine and similar in nature to his prior right knee surgery in December 2011.”
The PGA Tour season will officially start next week with A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, however the first event expected to draw a truly competitive field won’t come until the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at the end of October. The 35-year-old is also set to compete for the United States in the Presidents Cup in Australia in December.
Johnson got off to a hot start this season, picking up a win at the WGC-Mexico Championship in February. He also won the Saudi International on the European Tour that month, and then mounted runner-up finishes at The Masters and the PGA Championship in April and May, respectively.
After that, though, Johnson’s game went downhill.
Johnson failed to crack the top 10 in his final eight starts of the year, marking the longest stretch since the 2008 season. He finished in a tie for 35th at the U.S. Open and in a tie for 51st at The Open Championship, too — a stark change from his first two major championships of the year.
The FedExCup Playoffs weren’t any better, either. Though he qualified for the Tour Championship for his 11th straight season, Johnson finished in a tie for last in that 30-man field at East Lake.
By the time he was done in Atlanta, Johnson was more than ready for the season to be over. Mentally, he said, he was worn out.
“I got two months,” Johnson said after that round. “I’m definitely excited about that.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
