Jon Rahm has struggled to recapture his world No. 1 form from 2023 since ditching the PGA Tour for the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf league this past offseason
Rahm hit back at rumours he was unhappy with LIV Golf (
Image: Getty Images)
Jon Rahm has angrily dismissed reports alleging he rues his move to the LIV Golf league, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia.
The marquee former Masters and U.S. Open champ was one of the headline-grabbing signings for the nascent Saudi circuit during this offseason but hasn’t quite hit the heights of his former world No. 1 status from 2023. It was rumoured that the Spanish golfer longed for a return to the PGA Tour and would hand back the cash received from the Saudi Public Investment Fund if possible.
“There’s zero validity to what any of that said,” Rahm emphatically told the New York Post. “I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know why they feel the need to say that some of us are unhappy when we’re not. It’s one of the things that frustrates me a little bit, the fact that they can claim that there’s a source and there’s zero truth to it.”
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The speculation seemed to stem from a detailed account in Golf Digest+ magazine regarding Rahm’s controversial switch to LIV Golf, mentioning a “veteran tour insider” who felt “100 percent confident” that Rahm would dash back to the PGA Tour if he could. The article written by Diaz underscored a seeming disinterest in shaping a significant golfing legacy, something all the more striking for Rahm, whose passion for the game had won him a multitude of fans during his time with the PGA Tour.
Hailing from Spain’s Basque country, Jon Rahm made waves in the US after joining Arizona State in 2012. He clinched an impressive 11 collegiate tournaments over four years and became the first to win the Ben Hogan Award twice, which honours the best NCAA golfer. Turning pro after his senior year, Rahm made his debut at the 2016 Quicken Loans National and bagged his first PGA Tour win in San Diego the next year.
By 2023, Rahm had already carved out a significant place in golf history, triumphing over Brooks Koepka by four strokes at Augusta to claim his second major tournament win, although he just missed out at the British Open later that year. Reigning as world No. 1 for an impressive 52 weeks, Rahm also spoke out as several golfers defected to LIV Golf.
Jon Rahm previously pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour before quitting for LIV Golf ( Getty Images)
In a bold statement in 2023, Rahm declared: “I am officially declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour. I’m a PAC member, and I have a lot of belief in Jay Monahan and the product that they’re going to give us in the future.”
He added: “There has been a lot of talk and speculation about the Saudi League. It’s just not something I believe is the best for me and my future in golf, and I think the best legacy I can accomplish will be with the PGA Tour.”
In a turn of events that changed the game, Jon Rahm had a change of heart after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a potential “framework” for a merger with LIV Golf in June 2023. Initially expected to be finalised by December 2023, this surprise news prompted Rahm to choose a profitable switch to Saudi Arabia, candidly acknowledging the financial perks and the attraction of taking the reins of a team.
