Dustin Johnson is taking an indefinite leave from professional golf for ‘personal challenges’

One of the most talented golfers on the planet is taking some time away from the game to deal with personal issues.

Dustin Johnson, an eight-time PGA Tour champion, released a statement on Thursday stating he will be, “taking a leave of absence from professional golf, effective immediately.”

The statement continued, “I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced.”

“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 fulfill my potential and become a consistent champion.”

Johnson was not in the field this week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and will miss the final major of 2014 next week at the PGA Championship. It also looks like Johnson won’t be around for the FedEx Cup playoffs, where he currently sits fourth in standings, and has already informed the PGA of America that he will not be playing the Ryder Cup in September.

But more than that, this looks like a decision that Johnson made on his own and hopefully everything works out for him and he comes back to the game happy, healthy and as dominant as ever.

The PGA Tour released a statement as well, simply saying, “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.”

Update: U.S.captain Tom Watson spoke on Johnson missing the Ryder Cup.

Tom Watson: “We’ll certainly miss Dustin at Gleneagles, as one of the longest hitters in the game & an undefeated record [3-0] at Medinah.”

— Tom Greaves (@TomGreavesGolf) July 31, 2014

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Shane Bacon is the editor of Devil Ball Golf and Busted Racquet on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shanebaconblogs@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter at @ShaneBacon!

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