In what will be a body blow to the ‘establishment’ headed by the PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour, world number three and defending Masters champion Jon Rahm formally joined LIV Golf on Thursday.
The burly Spaniard, whose move to the cash-rich parallel league has been in the air for weeks, if not months, is the biggest catch LIV Golf has managed in its two years of existence, and adds a 13th team to the league’s ranks.
It also sets the stage for a completely new dynamic at the upcoming negotiations between PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the sovereign Saudi investment fund PIF that finances LIV Golf.
Rahm will be part of the new LIV Golf season that tees off at Mayakoba in Mexico on February 2, 2024 and will also lead his own team in the 14-event league that is played over 54 holes and features shotgun starts and no cuts to the field, though few details about the move were immediately available.
“I am proud to join LIV Golf and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport,” Rahm was quoted as saying. “I have no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me and my family and am very excited for the future.”
Separately, Rahm who joins the Saudi Arabia-backed league for a reported $565 million, told Fox News, “As you can see now it's official. This is me finally saying after all the rumours, some of them were true, and I am officially joining LIV Golf.
“It's not an easy decision. I've had a very successful career and I'm happy. There are a lot of things that LIV Golf have to offer which were very enticing, starting with team golf.”
The 29-year-old two-time major winner underlined that money alone was not behind his stepping away from the PGA Tour, but was an important factor nevertheless.
“I play golf for the love of the game and for the love of golf. I'm an ambitious person but I'm not a greedy one. But as a husband, as a father and as a family man I have a duty to them to give them the most amount of opportunities and the most amount of resources possible.
"Obviously, it (the money) is a factor and it's an important one in this decision. The love of the game and wanting to grow it in a global market. Being part of the team. Being a captain. Hopefully being a leader to team-mates. It makes me want to work harder than I have done now to actually prove myself.
"Hopefully some time in the future some kids in Spain will want to be part of this team that I am going to build. Hopefully it's something that I am related to for a very long time. Hopefully until the day I die. And I can make it something very special.”
Australian legend Greg Norman, who is the face of the PIF-backed league, said in a statement, “When I first met Jon at the age of 17, I knew then that the golfing world was about to witness the birth of a new star.
“Jon has consistently validated that he is one of the top players in the world. He’s a generational talent who has proven his merit as a multiple major champion and tremendous ambassador for global golf by placing the game ahead of himself.
“There are very few athletes with his pedigree of talent, leadership, poise, and commitment to bringing progress to the sport on a worldwide stage. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Jon to the LIV Golf family as the league continues preparations for a huge 2024 and beyond.”
Added LIV Golf’s chief of operations Lawrence Burian, “LIV Golf is here to stay. The addition of Jon reemphasises that our League is not slowing down. We are continuing to invest and build aggressively for LIV's long-term and exciting future.”
In addition to his 2023 Masters title, Rahm was also the 2021 US Open champion and comes off a year during which he won thrice on the PGA Tour. Worldwide, he has 20 wins including the DP World Championship in 2017, 2019 and again last year. Recently he was member of the victorious Europe team in the Ryder Cup that smashed aside Team USA in Rome.