Dustin Johnson said Tuesday he has joined several other golfers and resigned from the PGA Tour effective immediately, and he plans to play only LIV Golf events and major championships going forward.

Johnson, who has been a member of the PGA Tour since 2008, made the announcement in the opening news conference for LIV Golf's first event at Centurion Golf Club.

In February, Johnson released a statement through PGA Tour Communications saying he was fully committed to the tour, but he ultimately changed his mind.

"At that time, I was committed to playing the PGA Tour," Johnson said. "I'm very thankful for the PGA Tour and everything it's done for me. I've done pretty well out there for the last 15 years.

But this is something that was best for me and my family. It's something exciting and something new."

Johnson said he fully expects to be able to play in the majors, including next week's U.S. Open at Brookline, Massachusetts.

The USGA has not shown any indication that it would attempt to bar players who joined the LIV Golf Tour from its championships.

Johnson has a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open because of his 2017 victory, and his 2020 Masters victory earned him five-year exemptions into the Open Championship and PGA Championship through 2026.

Johnson's 24 PGA Tour victories are the fourth most among active players, trailing Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. He has earned $74.2 million during that time.

Johnson's decision -- which follows similar decisions by Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Brandon Grace and Charl Schwartzel -- likely will make him ineligible for future Ryder Cups, as players need to be members of the PGA of America to be considered.

Members of the PGA Tour are given automatic membership into the PGA of America. Johnson said he weighed that in his decision as well.