Jon Rahm's LIV Golf team draws its name from Ancient Rome and Julius Caesar

11/01/2024 16:53

Jon Rahm has a new name for his LIV Golf team, and it draws from an important part of history in Ancient Rome.

Jon Rahm has a new name for his LIV Golf team.

As the 13th team within the Saudi-backed circuit, Rahm's team will be called Legion XIII, or Legion 13 GC, per The Tee Times and LIV Golf Updates.

The name stems from the Legio XIII Gemina, one of Julius Caesar's most essential units during his civil war in Ancient Rome in the first century BC.

The Legio XIII Gemina unit served Caesar during his governorship in Gaul, an area that comprises modern-day France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Northern Italy. After his tenure in Gaul expired, Caesar led his legion to Rome, which included crossing the Rubicon.

Of course, the phrase 'Crossing the Rubicon' has become an idiom that represents 'passing a point of no return.'

Once Caesar crossed the Rubicon—a river in Northern Italy—his forces quickly occupied parts of Northern Italy. Caesar and his men descended upon Rome in due time, leading to his rise as dictator. But as Caesar rose to power, the Roman Republic around him declined. He became dictator in 49 BC, and his reign lasted five years.

A group of senators famously assassinated Caesar in 44 BC, and the Republic became an Empire within the following decades.

Caesar crossing the Rubicon changed the course of history—just as Rahm bolting to LIV Golf on Dec. 7 changed the landscape of professional golf.

Like Ancient Rome during the time of Caesar, golf has been engulfed in a civil war between the PGA Tour and LIV over the past few years. The end of this ongoing saga is perhaps near as the tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)—LIV Golf's beneficiary—continue negotiating a deal on the future structure of professional golf.

But it was during those talks that Rahm jumped ship to LIV.

For Rahm—a history buff—to create a team name drawing from Caesar's days is symbolic and impressive. The metaphor that is Legion XIII is also accurate, as Rahm is one of the most essential characters currently in the game of golf—just as Caesar was to the Roman Republic.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.