Jon Rahm Leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf: 'Things Have Changed a Lot, and So Have I'
Jon Rahm, a two-time major champion who won the Masters in April, is headed to the LIV Golf League, with the news becoming official early Thursday evening.
Rahm was in New York City for a flurry of activity with LIV Golf officials as well as a conference call with reporters in which he said his decision was based on a substantial monetary offer as well as the evolving nature of LIV Golf that he believes will get better.
He added it that it had nothing to do with the framework agreement that is being negotiated between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (which funds LIV Golf), saying he was not aware of where the deal stands and simply hopes the sides can bring golf together.
"The past two years there has been a lot of evolving in the game of golf," Rahm said. “Things have changed a lot and so have I and I’ve seen the growth of LIV Golf and the innovation. That’s why we’re here today."
Jon Rahm is ranked No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Chris Day/USA TODAY Network
Rahm, 29, would not disclose financial terms or the length of the deal, but the reigning Masters champion said the offer was significant and he did not shy away from saying it was among the reasons he decided to make the move.
He is believed to be getting a nine-figure upfront offer, annual payments plus 25 percent equity in a LIV team that has yet to be disclosed.
Over the last several months, Rahm had repeatedly said that money would not be an issue and that he was not a fan of LIV Golf’s 54-hole, shotgun start model.
"Certain things are not going to be public, but this decision was made for many reasons," he said. “What I thought was best for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great deal. It was a great offer in front of me and it’s one of the reasons I took it. They put me in a position to think about it and that’s what I did."
As for the format, Rahm said: "I think the growth that I’ve seen and how it’s become a big business and how it can impact golf in a positive way is very enticing. With everything, not all is perfect. With that said, it’s an ever-growing and ever-changing machine. I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and see some changes for the future and for the betterment of the game."
The four-time winner in 2023 on the PGA Tour would not discuss the team aspect or who might join him, saying "you’ll have to wait until later."
Jon Rahm Bio
What this does to the negotiations toward an agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia—which funds LIV Golf—will be among the many questions to emerge from this development. But Rahm said it had nothing to do with his decision.
"I can’t speak on what I don’t know," Rahm said. "I wish I knew where the framework agreement stands. I haven’t really focused on that a lot.
“I know there’s been some growth toward the game of golf getting together. “That's been my goal now … I do want to maintain my PGA Tour and DP World membership and hopefully with the freedom LIV Golf gives me, I can do all that. I’ve made it clear I want to play the Spanish Open and support Spain, if possible. We’ll see."
Rahm is the defending champion at the PGA Tour’s Sentry tournament which is the first event of the 2024 schedule next month. He also won the American Express Championship last year. Both tournaments will be played prior to his first event with LIV Golf in Mexico in early February.
The PGA Tour has taken the stance that once a player tees off in a LIV event, he is not longer eligible to compete in Tour events. It is unclear how his situation would be handled.
Rahm said the biggest hurdle for him was the Ryder Cup. Having played in three Ryder Cups for Europe, he was expected to be a force on that team for years. Without an agreement of some kind or a change of the rules, he’d be facing not playing against the Americans at Bethpage Black in 2025.
"What they had to offer was maybe worth the risk of not being able to play the Ryder Cup," he said.
Rahm’s departure to LIV Golf means that that two of the 2023 major championship winners—Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship—and the top three finishers at the Masters (along with Phil Mickelson) are now all part of LIV Golf. And if you include 2022 British Open champion Cam Smith, the league has three of the past five major winners.
"If there was ever a person that would actually go, it'd probably be him just based off he's in the majors for the next five years. He's gonna play for a very, very long time and he's young and I think they see value in him, and especially like the Spanish side of things," said Jason Day, playing this week at the Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples, Fla.
"If he does go then, yeah, I'm happy for him because obviously he's earned that right to—for them to pay him that much and if someone pays you that much then you definitely better be looking at least having a meeting with them. If he does go, it's gonna be sad to not see him as much because I actually like Jon a lot. But on the other end of it, I know that the numbers that they're throwing out or what I'm hearing is generational wealth.
"So, I mean, I don't know, it's gotta be exciting for him. I know that for a fact. But I have mates over there so I don't fault anyone for going across. I mean, I wish he stayed and I wish a lot of the other guys stayed too. That's just the nature of the beast right now."
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, were scheduled to meet this week with a looming Dec. 31 deadline to complete the framework agreement, which undoubtedly has numerous aspects to navigate.
Rahm has remained closed to LIV players Sergio Garcia and Mickelson but said he had not spoken to either player while negotiating his deal with LIV, which has been rumored for weeks.
Last week, a couple of social media sites that track LIV Golf closely reported that Rahm's move was imminent.
Flushing It Golf had reported that “multiple sources on the players side have confirmed that Jon Rahm is a DONE deal to join the LIV Golf League.’’
Another account, LIV Golf Updates, credited the Flushing Golf report and added detail, saying that Rahm’s contract runs through 2029 with a $300 million signing bonus paid over the life of the deal.
LIV Golf has a 14-tournament schedule set to begin in February, as nothing was expected to change in 2024.
When rumors of Rahm’s discussions with the team-format league circulated in August, he told the Spanish-speaking podcast Golf Sin Etiquetas that such reports make him “laugh.”
“I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf," Rahm said on the podcast, which was translated by the Twitter account @Handicap54. “I never liked the format. And I always have a good time with Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the practice rounds of majors.”
“Phil respects my decision, and I respect his [choice],” Rahm continued. “Mickelson has told me that I have no reason to go play for LIV, and he has told me that multiple times.”
Asked about the backlash he might face now, Rahm said: “Every decision we make in life there will be somebody who agrees and likes it and somebody who doesn’t. I believe this decision is best for me and my family. I’m very comfortable with my decision. I’m no stranger to hearing negative things. We’re public figures. You learn to deal with it. This won’t define who or what I am."