AKRON, Ohio -- Dustin Johnson is taking a leave of absence from golf to seek help for "personal challenges," a swift end to his season that will keep him from playing the PGA Championship, the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup. In a statement Thursday from Hambric Sports Management, the 30-year-old Johnson said his leave of absence was effective immediately. It did not indicate how long he would be out, though agent David Winkle told the PGA of America he would not be at the PGA Championship next week or the Ryder Cup at the end of September. "I will use this time to seek professional help for personal challenges I have faced," Johnson said. "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 fulfil my potential and become a consistent champion." He asked for privacy "as I embark upon this mission of self-improvement." Johnson, who tied for fourth in the U.S. Open and tied for 12th in the British Open, was No. 5 in the Ryder Cup standings and virtually certain to earn one of nine automatic spots when qualifying ends next week at the PGA Championship. As long as he stays in the top nine, he will be replaced by the next player in the standings. "We will certainly miss Dustin Johnson at Gleneagles, and we wish him the best," U.S. captain Tom Watson said. "As one of the longest hitters in the game with an undefeated record of 3-0 at Medinah in 2012, he has clearly been an asset for the United States team. That said, the United States is a team with an abundance of talent." Johnson was replaced in the PGA Championship by Jerry Kelly. Pat Perez is now the first alternate, and will get into the PGA provided the Bridgestone Invitational winner is already eligible. Johnson won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai last October at the start of the PGA Tours wraparound season. He has seven top 10s this year on the PGA Tour and was at No. 4 in the FedEx Cup standings. He will not be replaced in the 125-man field at The Barclays when the FedEx Cup playoffs begin Aug. 21. Its the second time in two years that Johnson has missed a major under curious circumstances. He pulled out of the Masters in 2012, saying that he tweaked his back while lifting a jet ski. He wound up missing three months, and won in his second tournament back. Johnson played in the final group in the third round of the British Open with Rory McIlroy, fading with a 71-72 weekend and tying for 12th. He missed the cut the following week at the RBC Canadian Open, and then withdrew from the World Golf Championship at Firestone. The PGA Tour, which does not comment on disciplinary action, offered little in a statement. "We have nothing to add to Dustins statement, but we wish him well and look forward to his return to the PGA Tour in the future," the tour said. Johnson is No. 16 in the world ranking with eight PGA Tour victories. He is the first player since Tiger Woods to go from college to winning in each of his first seven seasons on the PGA Tour. He lost a three-shot lead in the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, closing with an 82. Later that year, he was assessed a two-shot penalty on the final hole of the PGA Championship for grounding his club in a patch of sand, not realizing it was a bunker at Whistling Straits. Johnson last year got engaged to Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of NHL great Wayne Gretzky. Nike Air Max 97 Billigt . On the day after Billy Horschel posted his 12th straight round in the 60s, won his second straight tournament against a world-class field and picked up an additional $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion, Watson was kicking back in his seat at a Kansas City Royals game. Nike Air Max 97 Herr Rea . Locke overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings and Josh Harrison had three hits to extend his hot streak as the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Wednesday night. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-97-rabatt.html. Felix Pie had an RBI double earlier in the inning, as Baltimore rallied for three runs to overcome a 3-2 deficit. J.J. Hardy had two hits and Matt Wieters chipped in with an RBI double for the Orioles, who pushed their winning streak to three games. Nike Air Max Rea Sverige . You can, too, Clay Buchholz, if we ignore the sixth inning of Game 2. Doug Fister and Jake Peavy, youre up next in Game 4 and theres a lot to live up to. Nike Air Max 270 Rabatt . Philippe Desrosiers stopped 42 shots through overtime and three more in the shootout to pick up his third shutout of the season for Rimouski (31-15-7). Zachary Fucale made 28 saves for Halifax (34-17-3) in the loss.PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles hid their flaws and overcame glaring weaknesses for three-quarters of the season.Then came December.Three straight losses, including a crushing 27-24 defeat to Washington (4-11) on Saturday, has the Eagles (9-6) on the brink of playoff elimination. If Dallas beats Indianapolis late Sunday afternoon, the Eagles are finished.No one couldve predicted this collapse after Philadelphia whipped the Cowboys 33-10 on the road on Thanksgiving to take control of the NFC East.But the Eagles followed that up with home losses to Seattle and Dallas before falling flat against the Redskins, who snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory.Its very frustrating to us to control our destiny when we are 9-3 and to have this happen, said tight end Zach Ertz, who set a franchise record with 15 catches against Washington. Were very disappointed. Ultimately, it falls on the players. We didnt execute the game, either of the three games. Its very disheartening.The Eagles would win the division if they beat the Giants next week and the Cowboys finish with losses to the Colts and at Washington. They dont have a chance at a wild-card berth.A turnover-prone offence and defence that allows too many big plays were the downfall for this team. The Eagles found ways to hide their mistakes and win games for most of the season, but couldnt do it any longer. They were helped early in the season by 10 touchdowns from their special teams and defence.But once they stopped getting those bonus scores, they struggled. Meanwhile, the offence kept turning the ball over.Mark Sanchez threw for a career-high 374 yards and had a franchise-record 37 completions against the Redskins, but his interception in the final minutes paved the way for Washingtons win.Sanchezz has 14 turnovers in eight games since replacing Nick Foles after he broke his collarbone.ddddddddddddFoles had 13 turnovers.You have to win games, Sanchez said. The head coach and the quarterback, we are the only ones who keep a record, so it goes with the territory of this position. There have been three really tough games and this one came down to the wire and we came up a little short.Penalties hurt the Eagles during the three-game losing streak, especially ones committed by the defence. The defence had three penalties against the Redskins on the third down that kept drives going and resulted in 17 points.You arent going to win a football game that way, coach Chip Kelly said. We left them on the field too long.The secondary also allowed several big plays, including a pair of 50-yard receptions by DeSean Jackson on Bradley Fletcher. Last week, Dez Bryant caught three touchdown passes against Fletcher. Cary Williams switched over to cover Bryant after the damage. Fletcher was finally benched in base defence situations after Jackson caught four passes for 126 yards against him.Several of those passing plays came when defensive co-ordinator Billy Davis allowed Fletcher to cover his man one-on-one with no safety help. Nate Allen intercepted Robert Griffin III on one deep pass to Jackson when the Eagles double-covered their former teammate.I make plans based on what I see and make decisions on what I see, Davis said. I dont regret one minute of it.Then there were a pair of missed field goals by rookie Cody Parkey, who was 29 for 31 entering the game.It stinks, Parkey said.Eagles fans feel the same.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.organd AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi ' ' '