Following remarks about “strict instructions,” Jon Rahm’s shocking LIV Golf confession was clarified.
After weeks of rumors about his future, reigning Masters winner Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour earlier this month to finalize a £450 million deal to join LIV Golf.
After leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, Jon Rahm has stated that he will not speak to the media until the following year. He has also denied rumors that the Saudi-funded league has blacklisted him, stating that his decision was entirely his own.
After weeks of conjecture about his future, LIV Golf revealed last week that the reigning Master champion had joined the team. In joining the breakaway league, Rahm followed the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson as the most prominent golfer.
Following the Ryder Cup in October, there were rumors circulating that Rahm might quit the PGA Tour and join LIV. The Spanish player will be joining the league, it was confirmed on December 7. The contract is said to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
According to reports, the league would have to pay £450 million in total for the deal that brings Rahm to LIV Golf. Rahm is expected to receive an upfront payment of £237.5 million from LIV Golf, a company sponsored by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), as part of the agreement.
Over the previous few years since some of the sport’s biggest stars left to join LIV Golf, Rahm’s rivals at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings have been Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
Rahm is now likely to drop down in the rankings after the OWGR ruled in October that players on LIV would not be able to acquire points through the league’s events.
Rahm issued a statement when the news was confirmed that he would be joining LIV, but that remains the only time he has spoken publicly about the deal. The 29-year-old was in Bilbao, Spain on Wednesday giving a speech as he was awarded the ‘Dama Bilbaina 2023’ prize.
During his speech, Rahm admitted to being taken aback by the number of media outlets in attendance at Sociedad Bilbaina Hall. The newest LIV Golf recruit went on to reveal that he is opting not to take part in any media interviews until February next year, when the new season will get underway.
According to Rahm, via Reuters, “I didn’t think there would be any cameras and that it would be a bit more intimate.”
Jon Rahm has announced that he would not participate in “I am under very strict instructions not to do public events, which I have imposed on myself a little bit for myself, and for the change I have given to the world of golf in the last week.”
Rahm said, “No!” in response to the question of whether he intended to participate in any interviews. He concluded by saying: “There will be nothing until February, I’m not allowed to.”
The 2024 season of LIV Golf is scheduled to begin in Mayakoba, Mexico on February 2.
