Jon Rahm To LIV? Rumors Swirl In Week That Could Change Golf Forever

It seems like there have been a lot of “biggest weeks in golf history” this year, but if the Jon Rahm rumors are true, this truly could be a week that changes the sport forever.

Rahm has largely gone radio silent, but according to multiple reports and whispers and insinuations, the No. 3 player in the world and reigning Masters champion is at least very seriously considering jumping from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.

According to reports, the numbers being thrown around are astronomical. The Telegraph on Tuesday mentioned a £450 million figure, a number that is roughly the equivalent of $565 million. As No Laying Up pointed out, that would be $100 million more than the PGA Tour gave out in its entire prize fund over the 2023 season.

“Multiple sources have told Telegraph Sport they ‘expect’ Rahm, the world No. 3, to sign imminently and take control of his own team, although there is nothing concrete, and LIV insiders insist that they remain in the dark concerning a capture which could be considered as the breakaways most notable to date,” The Telegraph’s James Corrigan wrote.

An announcement, according to Corrigan, could come as early as Wednesday.

The same report indicates the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is leading the negotiations. The PIF is the financial backing behind LIV Golf.

It’s impossible to overstate the potential shockwave and ripple effect this could cause in men’s professional golf. It appeared the PGA Tour had stemmed the LIV tide over the last year, with Tour defections slowing down after the initial wave ahead of LIV’s inaugural 2022 season.

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The turning point, however, might have been the downright shocking announcement on June 6 that the PGA Tour and PIF were partnering together after a couple of contentious years of competing for the future of pro golf. However, in recent months, the agreement — one that frankly seemed rushed and hastily put together — looked to be falling apart.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan last week said he was going to meet PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan at some point this week with the hopes of striking a deal with the PIF and another investor before the end of the year.

“We’re having conversations with multiple parties,” Monahan said at a New York Times business summit last week, per ESPN.com. “The deadline for our conversations PIF, as you know, is a firm target.”

That the Rahm situation has intensified the same week in which the two sides are looking at a “firm target” feels like it might not be a coincidence. It’s certainly possible this is some sort of power play for leverage in negotiations.

As for Rahm, signing with LIV would signal a change in career direction and aspirations. The Spaniard pledged his “fealty” to the PGA Tour in February of 2022 as his peers were getting ready to jump ship and join LIV. At the 2022 U.S. Open, Rahm insisted “$400 million won’t change my life,” as an argument against leaving the Tour.

Rahm, at least in the past, has expressed his issues with LIV’s 54-hole, no-cut tournaments, especially if it meant he could no longer play some of the PGA Tour’s more iconic venues.

“To be honest, part of the format is not really appealing to me,” Rahm said at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open. “Shotgun (start) three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple. I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.”

Additionally, making the move to LIV could cost Rahm something he cherishes: the chance to play in the Ryder Cup.

“That’s one of my biggest concerns, to be honest,” he said in 2022, after saying he hoped “we don’t lose the essence” of the Ryder Cup.

“It’s an event we all play for free, and it’s one of our favorite weeks, win or lose. I think that says a lot about the game and where I wish it would be at.”

A lot has changed since then, perhaps including Rahm’s mind and opinions. A potential PIF-PGA Tour merger or partnership could also change the equation. If there’s any sort of path back to the Tour for LIV renegades, it certainly could make it easier to chase the money. Even some of the Tour’s recent schedule changes — the Tour will introduce smaller-field, no-cut “signature events” in 2024 — could have made the decision to jump easier.

Rahm also is in a position of power

There’s also, you know, the half of a billion dollars on the table, too.

If Rahm does leave, though, the levee could very well break. That would be a nightmare scenario for the Tour, especially without any sort of outside investment. The Tour simply can’t match the PIF’s pocketbook depth.

Regardless, we’re right in the midst of one of the biggest weeks in golf history — once again.