When Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in late 2023, it felt like a seismic shift in the battle between the two tours.
Rahm, already a two-time major winner, including the 2023 Masters earlier that year, joined Bryson DeChambeau and gave LIV arguably two of the best four players in the world. Along with Brooks Koepka, known for his prowess in the biggest tournaments, Dustin Johnson, and legendary players like Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.
While many defections could be hand waved away, Rahm’s departure felt like a major blow and the type of move that could lead to a merger and reunification of the game. Fast forward a few years, and the situation has changed completely.
LIV is now facing a significant funding crisis, as well as questions about the tour’s ability to continue operating after the 2026 season. The PGA Tour, which was caught off guard by LIV’s foundation and seemed immediately on the back foot, suddenly has the upper hand.
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What happens next is anyone’s guess; several players have committed to staying with LIV, or at least, not returning to the PGA Tour. Others are up in the air, like Bryson DeChambeau, whose contract expires after this season. Then there’s Rahm. One of the most competitive golfers in the world, who immediately made arrangements with the DP World Tour to allow him to play in future tournaments, should he need to.
Ahead of this week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia, Rahm was, of course, asked about his decision to leave and whether he now regrets it, considering the challenges LIV faces. Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan brought up his decision in 2023 and the thought that it might be the catalyst to reunify the game.
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“I was never like thinking that I was going to be any sort of weight that would tip the scales to make things come together. That was never an argument in my mind,” he said.
“When asked if that was the case for people to come together, that would be great. I never made a decision based on that.”
As to whether he regrets leaving, Rahm answered by saying he never approaches decisions that way.
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“Now, I would also say I’ve made a lot of decisions in my life, and I’ve never gone back thinking, ‘Oh, had I known this again, I would do X and Y different,’” he explained. “I could do that about 15 different golf shots on the golf course every single day. If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be a very pessimistic person … just to speculate on what could have done, what could have been different doesn’t really make much sense.”
Rahm is an intelligent, insightful person with a tremendous impact on the game. It’s possible, if not likely, that he did hope his move to LIV would be, if not decisive, important in reunifying the game. And it likely was, as discussions between LIV’s backers and the PGA seemed to increase after his move. Though that dynamic has now changed, dramatically.
He’s also infamously intense when he gets on the course, and there’s little doubt he’d be concerned or unhappy if the quality of play on LIV decreases, should the tour’s funding diminish without Saudi Arabia’s financial support. Particularly because he remains in the prime of his career at just 31 years old.
Whatever the outcome, golf fans want to see Rahm compete against the best. Hopefully that becomes more common moving forward.
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