These are the words of Jon Rahm when asked about whether he would be headed to the LIV Golf tour:
“I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf. 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."
It is now being reported that the Spaniard is set to sign with the Saudi owned golf tour for a record £450 million according to a report in the Telegraph.
Dream Season for Rahm
Rahm had his best year as a professional to date in 2023. Claiming a first green jacket as he finished -12 and 4 shots clear of one of LIV's biggest stars, Brooks Koepka. It was then at the Ryder Cup where Rahm once again showed his elite mentality and put in one of the best individual Ryder Cup performances in living memory.
John Rahm won 2023 Masters Championship. Fourth Spaniard to won the Masters. pic.twitter.com/BnAHuAmPgP
— Nadeem A.Rana (@IamrealNadeem) April 10, 2023
Of course, a big talking point leading in to the week of the Ryder Cup was the absence of players such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. Even Henrik Stenson who was supposed to be the European Captain until his move to LIV. It is unclear how the European team's selection process would work in relation to Rahm making the switch. As it stands, he would most likely not be considered for selection for the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York.
The scenes when @JonRahmpga holed this 👏#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/fPNzg1UiRc
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) October 7, 2023
Jon Rahm And Others Expected To Make The Move
Regarding LIV, Rahm said in February 2022:
This is my official, my one and only time I'll talk about this, where I am officially declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour.
Contrasted with the news today that Rahm will not be part of the AMEX Cup field (a tournament he won last year), alongside the report from the Telegraph which says it is expected to be announced alongside some other big coups for the Saudi managed golf tour. Former Ryder Cup players spoke about the move to LIV for Rahm and cited two other big names they expected to make the switch.
“I think this will happen, and that Jason Day and Adrian Meronk” will also join, while another said, “I honestly know nothing and would just take everything as rumour if I were you”.
These Rahm rumours come amid a planned meeting this week between Jay Monaghan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan of the Saudi Arabian PiF and the looming deadline for the agreed merger between the PGA and LIV tours.
Rahm's defection feel inevitable now but would come as quite a shock to the golf world. Its surprise is largely predicated upon Rahm being one of the most outspoken against LIV Golf, alongside Rory McIlroy. In particular, he has been apathetic toward the sums of money being paid and has always pointed to the history of the PGA Tour:
I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world … I have always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.
However Rahm has never supported the decision to ban LIV players, like his compatriot Sergio Garcia, from the Ryder Cup.
Evidently for Rahmbo, legacy and history aren't maybe quite as valuable as £450 million.
