Breaking News: Jon Rahm announces retirement from LIV Golf, makes impressive return to PGA Tour
The 29-year-old Masters champion’s big-money move to Saudi Arabia-sponsored LIV Golf sent another shockwave through the sports world.
Masters champion Jon Rahm has moved to Saudi Arabia-sponsored LIV Golf for a sum likely to exceed the total prize money on the PGA Tour, a shocking blow that deepens a rift in the golf world as the two sides negotiate a commercial deal.
Rahm confirmed the move in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. He wore a black letterman jacket with the LIV logo and said it was not an easy decision.
“I was very happy,” Rahm said. “But there are many things that LIV GOLF can provide, but this was very attractive.”
He said in a context of a message compensated in the $ 500 million range, to keep the cost of transactions private. The total of the Wallet PGA tour in 2023 was about $ 460 million. The development comes 25 days before the PGA Tour deadline, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund seeking to sign a deal on June 6 to become 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 turned out to be 29-year-old Rahm, ranked third in the world and approaching his prime as a two-time major champion, who was the last to get away with it.
Rahm maintained he had enough money and only cared about history and legacy. He said recently that “it makes me laugh” whenever he sees his name in connection with LIV. “It was a fantastic offer. The money is huge and it’s obviously great,” Rahm said. “But what I said before is true: I don’t play golf for the money, I play golf for the love of golf and the love of golf. But, as a husband, as a father and as a family man I have a duty to my family to give them the best opportunities and the most amount of resources possible and that is where that comes in.”
The Spaniard will make his LIV debut at the league’s season opening event from February 2-4 at LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico.
He remains eligible for the majors for the next five years – the Masters for life, the US Open until 2031. It is yet to be determined how the decision will affect his Ryder Cup eligibility.
“It’s hard to sit here and criticise John because he’s a fantastic 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 doubt about that. »
With the addition of Rahm, LIV Golf will have seven of the last 14 major tournament winners.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was scheduled to meet with PIF board member Yasir Al-Rumayyan this week. The talks have been postponed until next week, but it is unclear whether they will be held again or how Lam’s announcement will affect the negotiations.
Since the surprising commercial partnership was proposed on June 6, the tour has also received offers from private investment groups. These include Fenway Sports Group and Acorn Growth, which includes former AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson, who resigned from the PGA Tour board in protest of 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 an interview with Fox, he offered a different opinion, saying that while money is a factor, there are other factors that “make things very exciting.” “Once you get past that, the love of the game, the desire to showcase it to the world market and be part of a team and be a captain and hopefully a leader to your teammates, it becomes something so special,” Rahm says.
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