Jon Rahm has reportedly signed the most expensive contract in sport with a deal worth over half a billion dollars to join LIV Golf expected to be announced and send shockwaves through the professional game.
A deal has reportedly been agreed and The Golf Channel in the United States are claiming that the unveiling could happen before Thursday night is out.
The move will shake golf to its core and widen the schism that already exists in the sport.
The Daily Mail have also reported that Rahm could sign a lucrative $600 million (€555 million) contract with the Saudi backed tour which would be the most expensive deal in the history of sport.
Earlier this year it was announced that the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia would join forces pending a framework agreement being competed by the deadline of December 31.
How Rahm’s imminent signing with LIV will impact the deal is unclear but it appears the well has run dry for PGA Tour CEO Jay Monahan.
Monahan is due to meet Yasir Al-Rumayyan, over the weekend.
The 29-year-old Spaniard is a two-time major winner and won four times on the PGA Tour, his most successful season to date.
Rahm has previously spoken against LIV but his links to the tour are difficult to ignore – Phil Mickelson’s brother Tim was his coach in college and his agent when he turned pro while he has a close relationship with fellow countryman, Sergio Garcia who he felt should have been picked for the European Ryder Cup team.
“Would my lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No. It would not change one bit,” Rahm said at last year’s US Open.
“Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. 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’ve always been interested in history and legacy and right now, the PGA Tour has that.”
The signing of LIV would mean they have two of the last four major winners (Brooks Koepka) and it will put pressure on European golf to consider picking Rahm for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Speaking to Sky Sports yesterday Rory McIlroy outlined his fears over the future of golf if LIV keep pinching players from the PGA Tour.
“We have competing tours, and it divides the eyeballs that are on the game,” McIlroy said. “Some people like LIV, the majority of people like PGA Tour but if LIV start to take a few players each and every year, it’s really going to be divided. And that’s no good for anyone.
“You’re going to start cannibalising yourself as a sport. Sort of the same as what boxing has done with all the different organisations and a few other sports as well.
“To me, having all the best golfers under the one umbrella is the best way forward, because I think that’s really what the public wants that.
“The Majors are already so big, but my fear is that if we keep going down this path that all the best players are only going to get together four times a year. So that means golf is only going to be relevant four times a year and that’s good for no one.
“We need to get everyone back together and try to forget about what’s happened in the past, let bygones be bygones and we all move forward together. And I think that’s what’s going to be the best thing for the for the professional game.”
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