Jon Rahm has been one of the most outspoken supporters of the PGA Tour since LIV Golf was founded last year, but apparently the two-time major champion had a price.
Rahm is close to finalizing a deal worth somewhere in the range of $450-600 million to join LIV Golf, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Rahm is expected to officially leave the PGA Tour for LIV this week “assuming talks don’t fall apart.”
The landscape-altering move from Rahm comes as the PGA Tour and LIV are quickly approaching their Dec. 31 deadline for completing a merger, which was originally announced in June. Even if the two entities do merge, the plan has been for the PGA Tour and LIV to have their own golf schedules and operate independent from one another in terms of actual events.
There has been some speculation that Rahm’s negotiation with LIV could be part of a strategy from the Saudi-backed league to further motivate the PGA Tour to finalize the merger.
Rahm, the No. 3-ranked golfer in the world, joins Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau as some of the most successful and recognizable golfers who have left the PGA Tour for LIV. Rahm’s deal, which is one of the richest LIV has ever offered, is particularly stunning.
There were rumors last year that Rahm might sign with LIV. The 29-year-old responded by detailing several reasons why he had no interest in leaving the PGA Tour. Rahm indicated that the history of the PGA Tour is most important to him and that a massive guaranteed contract from LIV would not appeal to him. He also criticized the LIV Golf format.
Either there are details about the PGA Tour-LIV merger that have yet to come to light, or Rahm received an offer he felt he could not refuse.
