BREAKING: Jon Rahm announce resignation from LIV Golf in a stunning return to PGA Tour
Big money move by the 29-year-old Masters champion to Saudi-backed LIV Golf sends another shockwave through the sport
Masters champion Jon Rahm has bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf for what is believed to be more money than the PGA Tour’s entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal.
Rahm confirmed the move on Thursday in an interview with Fox News. Wearing a black letterman jacket with the LIV logo, he said it wasn’t an easy decision.
“I’m very happy,” Rahm said. “But LIV Golf has a lot of very compelling things to offer.” He said he would keep the value of the deal under wraps amid reports that his compensation would be around $500 million, which would likely include equity in his new team. The PGA Tour’s total prize money in 2023 is around $460 million. The development comes 25 days before the PGA Tour is due to finalize an agreement on June 6 for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to be a commercial partner in a parallel commercial venture with the European Tour.
Negotiations have been progressing slowly, with Tiger Woods saying last week that a lot of progress had been made. The most mobile element proved to be Rahm, 29, world number three and a two-time major champion nearing his peak, who was the last to escape.
Ram was adamant that he had enough money and only cared about history and legacy. He recently said he “laughs” every time he sees his name in connection with LIV. “It was a great offer. The money is wonderful, obviously, it’s great,” Lam said. “But what I said before is true: I don’t play golf for money. I play golf for the love of the game and for the love of golf. But as a husband, as a father, and as a family, I have to provide my family with the best opportunities and maximum number of resources. It’s here.
The Spanish will debut in the LIV in the Liva Golf Mayakova in Mexico at the opening of the league season from February 2 to the 4th.
He still has the right to participate in the major in the next five years -Masters For Life, the United States opened until 2031. It has not yet been determined how the decision will affect his Ryder Cup eligibility.
“It’s hard to sit here and criticise John because he’s a great player,” Rory McIlroy told Sky Sports. “John will come to Bethpage (for the Ryder Cup) in 2025. This decision means the European Tour will have to rewrite the rules. There’s no question about that.”
Rahm’s addition gives LIV Golf seven of the last 14 winners at the majors.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had been scheduled to meet this week with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the head of the PIF. The talks have been postponed until next week, but it is unclear whether they will still take place and what impact Lam’s announcement will have on the negotiations.
Since the exciting business partnership was proposed on June 6, the tour has also received offers from private investment groups. Those companies include Fenway Sports Group and Acorn Growth, whose executive team includes former AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson, who resigned from the PGA Tour’s board of directors in protest over the Saudi Arabia deal. The pact originally included provisions to prevent players from being poached, but they were scrapped after the Department of Justice raised antitrust concerns.
The LIV deal goes against everything Rahm has said about the league. He has voiced his support for the PGA Tour starting in February 2022, saying as recently as August on a Spanish-language podcast: “I never liked that format,” he said, calling the 54 holes with no cuts and a shotgun start “not tournament golf.” “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been around for hundreds of years,” he said at last year’s U.S. Open. “That’s what I want to see.”
In a separate speech to Fox, he said that while money is a factor, there are other elements that “make this tournament very exciting.” “When you get past the love of the game and the desire to grow the game into a global market and be part of a team, be a captain and hopefully be a leader for your teammates, it’s pretty special,” Rahm said.
