Jon Rahm’s Move to LIV Golf Is Game-Changer for Three Players’ PGA Tour Status

Rahm’s move to LIV Golf removes him from the FedEx standings, which is a big deal for the players currently ranked 51st, 61st and 126th on the list.

Jon Rahm’s move to the LIV Golf league means he will be unable to defend two PGA Tour titles next month, which became official Monday when the PGA Tour suspended him.

The expected decision is good news, however, for a couple of other PGA Tour players who will benefit by Rahm being removed from the final FedEx Cup points list that is used to determine 2024 priority rankings.

Rahm, won who four times in 2023 including the Masters, finished 18th in the final standings after at times leading the FedEx Cup race throughout the year. He had a poor final week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Rahm’s move to LIV creates ripple effects in the FedCup standings / USA Today

Mackenzie Hughes, who finished 51st in the final FedEx Cup standings and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the BMW Championship, now moves to 50th, a significant development for him because it makes him eligible for all eight of the big-money Signature Events in 2024, including the season-opening Sentry next month. He had been assured of starts in only the first two Signature Events after the Sentry.

Alex Smalley moved into the top 60 in the final FedEx points with Rahm out, meaning he gets starts at the first two Signature Events after Sentry, Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational.

And perhaps the most important gain in the rankings is for Carl Yuan, who moved up one spot into the top 125 and is now fully exempt for the 2024 season as opposed to having to play out of the lower 126 to 150 category, which would have meant fewer starts.

The Tour said there could be more changes to the FedEx list if any other players were to be suspended by Dec. 31 for their “association with a series of unauthorized events.”

Rahm, 29, had been rumored for weeks to be going to the LIV Golf league with the news becoming official Thursday.