And the clamour became flesh. LIV Golf has just made official the signing of Jon Rahm for the coming years. The open secret was confirmed. The golfer from Barrika leaves the PGA Tour and jumps to the Saudi league for a dizzying economic offer. The figures have not been disclosed, but it is estimated that the total value of the operation would be around 500 million dollars. A coup by LIV Golf that signs one of the best golfers in the world in the last seven years.
Rahm’s name has been linked to the 54-hole circuit and the shotgun start almost from its inception, although the Barrika native always stepped forward to deny those more or less interested rumours and proclaim his loyalty to the PGA Tour. Moreover, he always publicly explained that, while showing enormous respect for the players who decided to sign for LIV Golf, he did not like the format at all. However, the siren songs became pure and hard negotiations a few days ago. Rahm, now, had sat at the table and was talking about figures.
This twist in Jon’s fate was advanced by the Provisional Ball of Ten Golf just after the Final in Dubai. The intense rumour came from the bowels of the DP World Tour, which handled the information that Rahm was willing to accept the offer from LIV Golf and was going to pack his bags. It was not an easy news to digest and generated quite a lot of disbelief. It did not enter the heads of many that someone who had always defended that his main motivation in golf was not money, but history, glory and legacy, suddenly made this leap, abandoning the most traditional golf, the inheritance of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer or Tiger Woods, to enrol in the new Saudi product. However, this has just been confirmed.
Some people assure that this movement, which undoubtedly causes a small earthquake in the structures of world golf, has its strategic part on Rahm’s side. The Basque golfer trusts that his decision will generate an acceleration in the negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV and will result in an alliance of world golf. This, in any case, is not clear at all today, since at the moment in the American circuit itself there is no unanimity about whether the best future solution is to shake hands with the Saudis or, on the contrary, to look for other sources of financing and compete with LIV… Certainly, Rahm’s signing suggests that the positions are far apart and it remains to be seen if there is now a change of direction.
While those negotiations between LIV and PGA Tour are being clarified, Rahm will have his own team in 2024. It will be completely new, it is said that it could be sponsored by Callaway and it has been Jon himself who has put several names on the table of those who could be his teammates. Important players on the PGA Tour.
So, for the time being, Rahm’s first tournament in 2024, unless there is a surprise in the next few days, will be from 2 to 4 February in Mayakoba, the inaugural event of the Saudi tour. The announcement of Jon Rahm’s signing for LIV took place in New York and, as part of the promotional event, he conducted an interview with David Feherty. In the next few hours he plans to travel to Spain to, among other things, make the honorary kick-off at San Mamés in the run-up to the match between Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid.
