Jon Rahm to LIV Golf rumors swirling; reportedly 'in negotiations' to leave PGA Tour
22/11/2023 16:22
Jon Rahm, the current Masters champion, is reportedly having discussions to join LIV Golf and leave the PGA Tour.
Jon Rahm could be headed to LIV Golf.
The two-time major champion has reportedly held talks with LIV Golf executives in recent weeks. Still, no formal agreement has come to fruition, according to a report from the UK website Bunkered and the Argentinian podcast Handicap 54.
Speculation of Rahm's departure arose when he decided to leave TGL, the new golf league founded in part by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. TGL has since been postponed to 2025.
But Rahm will only join LIV Golf—and likely his compatriot and good friend Sergio Garcia on his Fireballs GC team—if the Saudi-backed circuit changes its structure.
Fireballs GC could become an all-Spanish team, with Rahm and Garcia as co-captains. Youngsters Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig would round out the foursome.
Yet, this will not happen unless Rahm sees a change in the format of the league, perhaps so that it could receive Official World Golf Ranking Points (OWGR) in the future.
Earlier this Fall, the OWGR denied LIV Golf points because of its current structure. The league has prided itself on 54-hole events and shotgun starts, two elements on which the OWGR board did not look too keenly.
Nevertheless, Rahm would have no worries about the OWGR, one of the criteria major championships use to determine its fields. Thanks to his win last year at Augusta National, Rahm has an exemption into the major championships over the next five years. All major winners receive this exemption.
Whether or not Rahm makes the jump remains to be seen, but the rumors of his PGA Tour departure have never been more valid. If he does leave, it would surely hurt the PGA Tour more than anything else.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
