The signing of Jon Rahm by LIV Golf immediately brings about serious changes in the Spanish player’s calendar, as is logical, who initially and until proven otherwise will not be able to play any tournament of the PGA Tour. Therefore, unless the Saudi fund and the PGA Tour reach an agreement in record time, and certainly the current scenario does not seem conducive to this, Jon will not be able to defend his title to start neither in the Sentry, the champions tournament that opens the American circuit season, nor in the American Express or the Genesis of Riviera, the three tournaments that he won in a dazzling way and in just a few weeks last year…
Rahm, however, has specifically pointed out that he hopes that such abrupt changes in his calendar will not affect the week of the Spanish Open. “I want to maintain my status in the DP World Tour and in the PGA Tour, if possible”, explains the one from Barrika. In this regard, it should be remembered that in the PGA Tour it will not be possible in any way, today, since the players who go to LIV cannot be members of this circuit, but in the European circuit he could maintain his membership and play the tournaments he wanted, as long as he was willing to accept the pertinent sanctions, and therefore the fines.
When questioned about it, Jon has been crystal clear: “I will do whatever it takes and is necessary to play the Spanish Open, that is very clear to me. LIV, also, lets me play the tournaments I want as long as they do not coincide with their dates”. In 2024, for example, there is no such date coincidence between the event in Spain and any LIV tournament, so the Basque’s presence is more than likely.
Jon, finally, wanted to make it very clear that he has “nothing against the PGA Tour. On the contrary, I am very grateful to them for giving me the platform to have been able to play and leave my mark. I know nothing about how the negotiations between the Saudi fund and the circuits are going, I can only say that I hope an agreement is reached, which would be very good for world golf. I want to continue playing tournaments on the PGA Tour, and if I can’t now I would like to do so in the future”.
