Breaking down a potential Jon Rahm move to LIV Golf

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Jon Rahm’s rumoured move to LIV Golf is anything but certain, but until we hear from the big Spaniard himself, the silence could become deafening.

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Rahm has long been the crown jewel for LIV Golf and reports surfaced Tuesday morning in the U.K. that the reigning Masters champ is in negotiations to join the Saudi-backed breakaway tour.

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Several stories have Rahm in talks with the Greg Norman-led tour, including Bunkered magazine’s Michael McEwan, who cites a well-placed source saying that rumours of an imminent switch are “wide of the mark,” but that the World No. 3 is “closer to joining than he has been before.”

Rumours of Rahm jumping ship to LIV Golf have been around since the league debuted and, last September, Rahm himself took to social media to shoot down a rumour that he was set to leave the PGA Tour.

Last year’s “report” came from an anonymous Twitter account with fewer than 400 followers, yet Rahm responded. With that precedent set, the longer we go without hearing from Rahm on the topic, the larger the speculation will grow.

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With the agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Firm precarious at best — and showing no signs that the two sides will hit their December deadline for a deal — the battle between the two rival tours quickly could re-escalate.

Earlier this month, Rahm dropped out of TGL, the golf/entertainment league started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. LIV’s online supporters (as they do) took that as evidence Rahm was headed their way. On Monday, it was announced that the entire inaugural season of TGL will be pushed back to 2025.

Since LIV Golf’s debut two years ago with guaranteed money, no-cut tournaments, small fields and something of a party atmosphere, the league has been battling the notion that — despite a handful of huge stars — it is not a truly competitive environment for world-class golfers.

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Rahm’s acquisition would go a long way in changing that as the two-time major champion is perhaps the sport’s most fiery competitor.

The 29-year-old Rahm has displayed a deep passion for the history of the game, spending much of his free time watching and studying old major championships. So what might be the draw for Rahm to LIV Golf?

Let’s start with the most obvious one: Money. Lots and lots and lots of money. Possibly a half-billion dollars. Or maybe more.

There has yet to be any bottoms to the pockets the Saudi Public Investment Fund reaches into for its golf project.

Rahm has not shown any signs that he is driven by money, but as luminaries Ted DiBiase and Howard Hughes have said before: Every man has his price.

There is also the distinct possibility that this could be the last chance for an otherworldly payoff. If a future merger between the two tours at some point is inevitable, as many believe it is, then it would certainly be a smart business move for Rahm to grab the bag now.

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If anything, Rahm to LIV Golf would hasten, even possibly go a long way toward forcing, a merger between the two rival factions. In that respect, Rahm would get to play kingmaker in a way.

There also have been signs that Rahm didn’t love watching McIlroy and pals shape the future of the PGA Tour prior to the proposed Saudi partnership. Often when asked about any changes to the tour, Rahm would dismissively respond with something to the effect of “Ask those guys, not me. I’m not involved.”

Aside from money, Rahm has some deep ties to LIV golfers. Phil Mickelson is a longtime mentor and his caddie/brother Tim Mickelson coached Rahm at Arizona State and managed Rahm in his early years as a professional.

Rahm also is close with Sergio Garcia and likely would have his choice whether to join Garcia’s all-Spanish team or start one of his own.

With Rahm’s win at Augusta this year and his win at the U.S. Open in 2021, he doesn’t have to worry about relying on world ranking points (still a LIV Golf bugaboo) to play in future majors. Plus, if we’re being real, he’s likely going to win a few more in short order.

Jon Rahm has all the cards, we are now just waiting to see how he plays them.

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