By Nick Grunewald, WC Sports Editor
Photo by Denis Poroy, AP Photo
MACOMB, Illinois (Western Courier) -2023 Masters’ champion, Jon Rahm, put months of rumors to rest and finally broke news that he would be leaving the PGA Tour for the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed, LIV Golf.
LIV has had their eye on the former World No.1 for a while with a meeting reportedly taking place between Rahm and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman in 2022 in Mexico City – Rahm said he wasn’t interested in making the switch at the time. Rumors heated up even more following the Ryder Cup in September.
The world’s No.3 ranked player confirmed the move in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. Wearing a black sport coat with the LIV logo Rahm said the decision was not an easy one.
“I’ve been very happy,” Rahm said. “But there are a lot of things that LIV Golf has to offer that are very enticing.”
While the terms of the deal have not been disclosed – and likely never will – numbers have been rumored to be between $300 million and $600 million – the PGA Tour’s total purse in 2023 was $460 million – and the benefits don’t stop there.
Besides the opportunity to play for $20 million purses on a weekly basis, LIV announced the addition of a 13th team to their tournament format captained by Rahm – which comes with 25 percent equity.
“I’m forever grateful to the PGA Tour and the platform they allowed me to be on,” Rahm said. “I have nothing bad to say about them. They allowed me the opportunity to play in some great events and allowed me to make a mark.”
He remains eligible for the majors for the next five years – the Masters for life, the US Open until 2031. Still to be determined is how the move affects his eligibility for the Ryder Cup.
