'It's an honour': Dustin Johnson crowned inaugural LIV Series champion and pockets $18m

American, 38, shot a five-under-par 67 in Bangkok to finish on nine-under par, leaving him with an insurmountable 42-point lead over Branden Grace of South Africa in the Saudi-backed circuit

Dustin Johnson of the USA acknowledges the crowd after sinking his putt during the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok golf tournament at Stonehill Golf Course in Pathum Thani province. EPA

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson pocketed $18 million after clinching the individual title in the LIV Series with a 16th-place finish in Bangkok, Thailand.

The American, 38, shot a five-under-par 67 on Sunday to finish on nine-under par, leaving him with an insurmountable 42-point lead over Branden Grace of South Africa in the Saudi-backed circuit.

Johnson finished in the top five in four of the previous five events, taking home $4 million for his only win of the series in Boston in September.

"Locking up the individual competition is big. It's an honour to be LIV's first individual season champion," Johnson said.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, sits in third in the overall standings while British Open champion Cameron Smith is in fourth spot. The runner-up will be awarded $8 million while the third-placed player earns $4 million.

The individual competition concludes in Jeddah from October 14-16 before a final team championship at former US president Donald Trump's Doral course in Miami.

"The first chapter of LIV Golf's history could not be written without Dustin Johnson's name," LIV chief executive Greg Norman said.

"By any measure, 'DJ' is among the elite players in the world. From the start he's been an LIV Golf cornerstone. He has more than lived up to his billing and deserves immense credit."

LIV Golf has lured away some of the U.S.-based PGA Tour's top members with huge sums of money, leading to a simmering feud between the sport's top players and organisers.

LIV tournaments do not count towards the world rankings, and players who compete in the breakaway series have been suspended from the PGA Tour.