Let’s not panic just yet, but this morning the internet was awash with fresh rumours that Jon Rahm is in advanced negotiations with LIV. The primary source of these rumours is Spanish golf website ten-golf.com, who were reportedly told by DP World Tour sources in Dubai last week that Rahm was deep in negotiations with Greg Norman.
This, of course, is far from the first time that Rahm to LIV rumours have been floated, with his close relationship with Phil Mickelson – Phil’s brother Tim had been Rahm’s coach at Arizona State University and on tour before taking up caddie duties for his six-time major winning sibling – and Sergio Garcia among the reasoning behind the gossip. Rahm and Garcia formed a close bond at the Ryder Cup in Whistling Straits, and Rahm has been vocal about his belief that the likes of Garcia, whose Ryder Cup record is second-to-none in the modern era, should remain eligible to represent Europe.
As recently as late July, Rahm denied that he had any interest in joining LIV on a Spanish golf podcast, saying: “I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf. I’ve 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]. Mickelson has told me that I have no reason to go play for LIV, and he has told me that multiple times.”
But the most recent reports suggest that the financial side of the equation has been worked out and that Rahm is seeking format changes before making the switch. Quite what these format changes may be are anybody’s guess, but for any alterations to be accepted, the team captains who all have equity in the venture would need to be in agreement.
But with these fresh rumours coming on the back of the reigning Masters champion’s decision to opt out of the TGL – perhaps a premature move given the subsequent SoFi Dome collapse and the league’s postponement until 2025 – that old cliche of there never being smoke without fire is doing the rounds. But this isn’t the first time that smoke has been reported around the Rahm campsite, even if no flames have been actually sighted.
But for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s true. Let’s say that Rahm is willing to jump ship, that financial agreements are in place, and that whatever formatting issues are all ironed out, what would it mean for Rahm himself? What would it mean for LIV? And what would it mean for the PGA and DP World Tours?
His 2021 US Open win makes him exempt through 2031, his Masters win gives him a lifetime exemption, and he’s guaranteed invites to the Open Championship and the PGA Championship through 2028, so even if LIV continues to be ostracised by the OWGR, any difficulty in getting into the Major Championships is way down the line. No concern there. The Ryder Cup? That’s a different story, but one we’ll get into later on.
What it would mean for LIV would be enormous. Sure, they’ve got major winners on their books, but Mickelson was always going to go, through injury and loss of confidence, Brooks Koepka had fallen off the face of the earth, and Cameron Smith reportedly signed his contract the week prior to winning the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Dustin Johnson was an easy mark, Patrick Reed was persona non grata on the PGA Tour, Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell were all on the slide. Realistically, getting Bryson DeChambeau was probably their biggest coup.
But getting Jon Rahm would be a game changer.
Getting Jon Rahm would mean that you’d have no choice but to take them seriously. Getting Jon Rahm means that they’ve taken one of the undisputed top dogs in the game at a time when the PGA Tour is doing everything possible to put more money in the stars’ pockets than ever before. And what’s more, Rahm’s decision, should he choose to go, will have been made all the easier by the PGA and DP World Tour proposing to merge with the PIF. The moral grandstanding doesn’t quite apply when you’ve washed your own moral high ground away.
As for the PGA Tour? At a time when they’re asking sponsors to dig deeper than ever into their pockets, taking arguably the biggest draw (after Tiger and Rory) out of the equation makes that a significantly harder sell than it is at present, and if rumours are anything to go by – and this whole piece is predicated on rumour – it’s pretty hard at present anyway.
The DP World Tour would feel the kick to a lesser extent, because even though Rahm is guaranteed to be a headline act every time he tees it up, he only tees it up a few times a year outside of the majors. It’s in the Ryder Cup where his presence, or lack thereof, would be strongest felt.
An integral part of two winning teams and the brightest light in his one defeat, having no Jon Rahm at the Ryder Cup would be the most bitter blow imaginable given that he’s still only 29 and could potentially have another 10 Ryder Cup appearances in him.
Would he be willing to turn his back on the Ryder Cup for a half-a-billion dollars? I’m just spit-balling a figure here, but it would have to be somewhere north of $250 million anyway. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t, but if he is to go to LIV, I’d wager that he’s gambling on his defection being the catalyst that brings full amnesty to the table, sees the respective parties fully bury the hatchet and provide pathways for the game’s leading players to once again tee it up on any circuit they wish.
And if you’re going to go, now is the time. That Green Jacket carries a power of its own, adds zeros to everything, and who knows, if the framework agreement is somehow settled in the coming months, then those big signing bonuses could be a thing of the past.
Rahm going to LIV could be the worst thing imaginable barring Rory or Tiger doing the unthinkable, or it could be the very thing that welds the broken world of professional golf back together again.
Only time will tell.
But hey, it’s still just rumour.
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