Robert TheodorsonFor Dustin Johnson, this International Series event is more than just a new tournament hosted at an exotic location; it’s a chance to get back on track and insert the two-time major championship winner and former World Number One back into the conversation for the 2026 major championship circuit.
Openly admitting his desire to play on the 2027 Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor, as well has the frustration that came along with not being able to be in well enough form to have made the 2025 squad, DJ has a long way to go in terms of securing a spot for 2027.
Team USA will need all the help is can get as Team Europe plays host at Adare Manor in Ireland, and will be playing for the first ‘threepeat’ Ryder Cup team since 2010 – 2014 Team Europe.
A fantastic opening round of 64 at St. Andrews during the Alfred Dunhull Links Championship last week turned sour quickly for DJ. A second-round score of 77 under brutal weather conditions took DJ out of the running even before championship Sunday. His cumulative score of 4-under par for a T71 finish exposed a lot of holes in his game when playing under less-than-ideal conditions.
The gruelling tournament, eventually won by Ryder Cup champion and hometown hero Robert MacIntyre, only had one American finish in the Top 25, fellow LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka (T15; 10-under).
2025 also marked the first time DJ had failed to record a victory in LIV. The league’s season finale in Indianapolis marked the only time DJ took to the podium. The season was a far cry from the first three seasons which included multiple wins and taking home the inaugural individual championship in 2022.
The good news for DJ is that there’s plenty of time between now and Ireland.
With the International Series in full swing this autumn, Sta. Elena Golf Club, The Philippines will host its first ever men’s professional tournament, and with it a real shot to pick up some OWGR points needed for automatic qualifiers, and a chance to get back into form before the start of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf seasons.
An automatic qualifier by virtue of winning the 2020 Masters, a strong finish at Augusta could go a long way towards making that dream of playing in the 2027 Ryder Cup a reality.
Officially opened in 1995, Sta. Elena Golf Club hosted it’s first, and then only professional tournament, the Espirito Santo Trophy one year after opening. The South Korean women’s team took home the trophy after 54 holes of golf.
What makes Sta. Elena unique is that the course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, is actually three nine-hole courses: Banahaw, Makiling, and Sierra Madre.
The purse for The International Series Philippines will be two million dollars which will be fought for by approximately 144 golfers in the field.
Joining Dustin Johnson will be some familiar names such as Anthony Kim who was relegated out of LIV Golf after two seasons. Kim will be looking to use The International Series events as a pathway to get back into the league after finishing near dead last in most tournaments played in.
Fellow LIV captains Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen who also competed with DJ at St. Andrews will be in attendance, each seeking the same opportunities to get invites back to various major championships they are not exempt from.
For Johnson, a successful showing in the Philippines could be a sign of good things to come this autumn and winter as securing a pathway back into the majors, including an invite back to the U.S. Open which the 4 Aces captain won at Oakmont in 2016.
