Masters champion Jon Rahm calls for drastic LIV Golf change ahead of Augusta National return

08/04/2024 15:37

Jon Rahm, who won the Green Jacket one year ago, has an idea for LIV Golf that could help the Saudi-backed circuit.

For the first time in 2024, players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will tee it up side by side at Augusta National for The Masters this week.

It also marks the first time LIV golfers will compete in a 72-hole competition this year, as the circuit features only 54-hole events.

But Jon Rahm believes that should become a LIV Golf mainstay.

Rahm, the defending Masters champion who jumped to LIV Golf in December, feels the Saudi-backed circuit should move to a traditional 72-hole format. He revealed this idea when speaking to Ian Carter of BBC Sport.

"If there ever was a way where LIV could go to 72 holes, I think it would help all of this argument a lot," Rahm said.

"The closer I think we can get LIV Golf to some other things, the better. I think it would be for some kind of unification to feed into a world tour or something like that. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I definitely wouldn't mind going back to 72 holes."

The LIV Golf calendar features 14 54-hole events annually, each with shotgun starts and no cuts—a stark contrast from other professional golf tournaments worldwide.

Yet, to combat the rise of LIV Golf and ensure the Saudi-backed circuit did not buy out more PGA Tour stars, the tour created Signature Events—limited-field events with no cuts.

Still, Rahm, a former critic of LIV Golf, decided to join the breakaway league in December 2023. That move came six months after the PGA Tour struck a 'framework agreement' with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)—LIV Golf's beneficiary.

Rahm was not happy about the agreement and felt betrayed, and many other top pros shared this sentiment.

Considering the war chest of riches that the PIF possesses and the shaky trust in PGA Tour brass, Rahm feels that LIV Golf can lure any player they desire.

"I could be the start of a tipping point in that sense," Rahm said.

"The balance of golf could be disturbed a little bit. Luckily, in my career, especially last year, I accomplished a lot, and I got to be one of the bigger names in golf. There are few active players that could have had a bigger impact than myself in that sense. Not to be patting myself on the back too much, but I understood the position I was in."

Rahm's move to LIV Golf proved to be a seismic shift in the golf world. But LIV Golf switching its format to 72 holes could be as well. That could open up the door to numerous possibilities, including more access to majors for LIV Golf players.

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.