Yet another LIV Golf bombshell just dropped to add to their growing pile of concerns.
Reports say that Jon Rahm, who has won three straight individual titles on LIV Golf since joining the tour, is likely to leave at the end of this season. LIV Golf sources say they are “almost resigned” to this eventuality.
This news comes after the DP World Tour told Rahm and other players that the deal they signed this year, which allowed them to play on LIV and the DP World Tour, will not extend to next season. They must choose between sticking around for LIV 2.0 next season with 10 events and smaller purses, or commit fully to the DP World Tour.
There are several reasons Rahm would choose the DP World Tour over LIV. He’s reportedly still owed over $100 million by LIV after signing a $350 million deal to join. He’s suspended from the PGA Tour for a year dating back to his last LIV event, and the uncertainty surrounding LIV is enormous.
If Rahm does leave, as he seems almost certain to do, it will be an outright disaster for LIV Golf given what potential investors have said.
What potential investors have said about LIV Golf makes Jon Rahm departure devastating
When the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew support from the tour, CEO Scott O’Neil was left to find investment for next season. He claims to have found some interested parties who could keep the tour alive in 2027, but Rahm’s departure could change things.
That’s according to Trey Wingo, who called this Rahm situation a “disaster” for LIV on the Straight Facts, Homie! Podcast: “The loss of Rahm is devastating if all these reports are true.
“And I have no reason to believe that they’re not, because these have sort of been the rumblings for a while, because one of those alleged supposed investors for the letter of intent that Scott O’Neal was trumpeting at Trump Bedmister was a group called the BC Group, which has ties to Bryson DeChambeau.
“Obviously, they would be very happy to see his investments do well, and they came out and said, in the Financial Times again, not pro-PGA Tour media, the Financial Times came out and said their investment, at whatever level it is, is completely contingent upon stars still being on the LIV Golf Tour.
“Jon Rahm is one of the two biggest stars and, in reality, probably the biggest star. Bryson is a star in a different way because of all the social media and the YouTube stuff and the things that he does there, and he does a great job with it. But for people that are looking at the best player on that tour, it’s probably Jon Rahm
“And that’s why Jon, when he was asked several times about investing in LIV, he’s like, “I don’t have time for this. I’ve got two kids, a third on the way, or three kids, a fourth on the way. He’s got a growing family. He’s trying to manage that.”
“And he’s trying to find his way back into where he was before he left the PGA Tour for LIV after he had said, “I swear my fealty to the PGA Tour. And then they waved $350 million in front of him, and they still owe him 150 million to $200 million, depending on how this all plays out.
“Jon Rahm is a backbreaker. And that’s why, if you go back to that press conference that Scott O’Neal had before the Trump Bedminster event, he was asked how important it was for LIV Golf to keep stars on their roster.
“In light of Jon Rahm’s defection and what we know about some of these investors saying, ‘ You have to have stars for us to be interested in this’, Scott O’Neal did what anybody would do in that time in his position. I got to sell something that may make sense, but probably is not what these guys are looking for when they say they want stars. They want Jon Rahm.”
What Jon Rahm said about the future of LIV Golf
When the news of the Saudi PIF’s withdrawal from LIV was first announced, Rahm looked a dejected figure. He spoke about how there was no way out of his contract as he faced the idea of being stuck on the tour for years to come.
However, at LIV UK, his demeanour changed. The Spaniard had a small smile on his face when asked if there had been any developments for the tour, as he said, “Well, we’re in contact with them. We know a lot of what’s going on, yeah. Not that I can share with you guys right now.”
Reacting to Rahm’s seemingly good mood, it was put to him that he seemed optimistic about the future, and he replied, “ I’m always optimistic. I play a game for a living. I can’t really be too upset about how things are going in life. Even though I’m very frustrated on the course very often, off the course I’m very different to what a lot of people think.”
Rahm was then asked directly if he expects to be playing on LIV in 2027, and he said, “I’m not going to share anything that I can’t share with you guys right now.”
If we can learn anything from Rahm’s dejected nature when it looked like he’d be stuck on LIV, then his demeanor at LIV UK suggests he knows he can get out of his deal. Refusing to confirm if he’ll be on LIV next year tells us all we need to know.
Rahm is gone, and he’s happy to be gone. Soon he’ll be on the DP World Tour, then the PGA Tour, and he can set about reclaiming his time after three years away.