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NEW YORK: Dustin Johnson is among the early signings for LIV Golf who have reportedly agreed to second contracts with the Saudi-backed league.

Johnson originally signed with LIV Golf in June 2022 for a contract that is believed to be in excess of $100 million. While terms of his new agreement aren’t known, he is staying with the league.

“Multiple sources confirm that Dustin Johnson has signed a new contract with LIV Golf,” the golf site Flushing It, which is known to have strong sources within the league, posted on X. “The details of the deal are unknown at this stage, but the 2022 Individual Championship winner was in New York recently to meet with officials and will be returning as captain of 4 Aces GC in 2026.

“There’s been lots of speculation about star names leaving the league, but we understand that most players up for renewal this year have already agreed terms and will be teeing it up next season, with all players not released or relegated also expected to do so.”

Johnson re-signing with LIV Golf does not come as a big surprise. The 41-year- old has said previously that he enjoys the freedom that the league’s schedule affords him and that he does not envision playing well past his prime.

Johnson is coming off a disappointing 14th-place finish in the individual race this year, while the 4Aces finished seventh in the team competition. He has also fallen to 595th in the Official World Golf Ranking while struggling in recent majors.

The winner of the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters missed the cut at both this year, along with the PGA Championship, before finishing his major season with a T23 at the Open Championship.

Johnson fell as low as 907th in the world following the US Open, but reclaimed some points by making the weekend at The Open and tying for 15th at the International Series Philippines last week, where he finished 11 shots behind winner Miguel Tabuena.

There has been speculation that some of the early defectors to LIV Golf may be considering a return to the PGA Tour as their paths into future majors dwindle. Chief among them is Brooks Koepka, whose initial contract is believed to expire after the 2026 season.

Like Johnson, Koepka made the cut at only one major this year, finishing T12 at the US Open. The 35-year-old has fallen to 227th in the world, but a potential return to the PGA Tour is clouded by the one-year wait currently mandated by the tour for players who depart LIV Golf.

MILAN: An 81-year-old man using an electric wheelchair died after being hit by a car driven by Inter Milan goalkeeper Josep Martínez on Tuesday, according to Italian media reports.
Police investigating the accident said the man may have suffered a sudden illness and veered from the cycle path into the lane in which Martínez was driving, the reports said.
The incident happened near Inter’s training center in Appiano Gentile, just outside Milan.
The Spanish goalkeeper and other motorists immediately stopped to help.
Emergency vehicles including an air ambulance arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Martínez was in shock but uninjured. Inter canceled coach Cristian Chivu’s press conference as a sign of respect.