Jon Rahm looks to be a dejected figure at LIV Golf right now.
The two-time major winner was a latecomer to the tour in 2023, signing a long-term deal worth around $300 million. But after two and a half seasons, the ship is already sinking.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund is withdrawing funding for LIV Golf after this season, and the tour is currently scrambling to secure new investment for next year. Meanwhile, big names like Bryson DeChambeau are formulating an exit plan.
Rahm, however, looks to be stuck. He was asked whether he could get out of his current contract with LIV, and he replied, “I don’t see many ways out.” Not a glowing endorsement for the league, and a sign that Rahm could be the last one in the building as it collapses around him.
That has set up a “delicious” situation for Rahm to be trapped in, in the eyes of some PGA Tour fans.
As Rahm seeks a potential exit route from LIV Golf, he has finally ended his standoff with the DP World Tour. He was previously the only LIV player to reject a tour deal that would have allowed him to maintain his LIV membership.
Rahm said he did not want to play the six events the DP World Tour demanded in this deal, but he would be happy to pay his fines like the rest of the players who accepted it, as long as he only has to play four times.
But after PIF pulled LIV funding, Rahm agreed to play five times on the DP World Tour, putting an end to this saga. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav, Ryan Lavner thought the timing of this was notable.
He said, “Why was he even dying on this hill over the past year as opposed to just throwing his weight around and trying to bend the European Tour to his will?
“My biggest takeaway was what took so long? It makes sense for the DP World Tour. In this case, although they reduced the number of tournaments he is going to be required to play from six to five, he is going to have to play plenty in the Fall.
“They did not back down in this scenario, they got what they wanted, which was Jon Rahm in their tournaments, helping to fortify them, which could be boosted by some star power.
“This was necessary for Jon Rahm as well. I don’t think it was any coincidence that this deal was struck in the days immediately following the news initially that PIF was going to be pulling out of LIV Golf following the conclusion of the 2026 season.
“Rahm needed a guaranteed place to play if LIV folds after 2026 and the European Tour offers that.
“I did think there was one other interesting thing with Jon Rahm’s press conference, which was him admitting that he has ‘several years left’ on his LIV deal and this one in particular ‘I don’t see many ways out’. That is not necessarily a ringing endorsement for Jon Rahm’s future on LIV.
“There is certainly a scenario, and it would be delicious for many golf fans who felt spurned by Jon Rahm leaving the PGA Tour to jump to LIV, if all of a sudden they were competing not for $30 million purses but for $5 to $10 million purses and Jon Rahm is contractually obligated to be there.”
After hearing his comments, it seems Rahm’s contract is pretty ironclad, and that’s by design. He joined LIV Golf in a far more vulnerable state than his predecessors, like DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, so LIV most likely wanted to ensure that if the league ever wavered, Rahm couldn’t just walk.
His contract size is so eye-popping, worth $300 million, that his buyout fee must be staggering. Even for someone of Rahm’s wealth, it likely isn’t feasible for him to pay it. Either that or he isn’t willing to.
And maintaining his DP World Tour membership doesn’t solve the issue. It only means he’ll have to play in five more events, and be at the will of two golf tours instead of one.
The only way he can avoid being stuck as the sole star on LIV Golf is for the league to cease to exist. If it can find new investment willing to pay Rahm’s contract, then he’ll be forced to play there until it eventually runs out.
