Only Jon Rahm can say whether he sold his soul. His principles and his reputation, however, are now owned by the Saudis.
The two-time major champion and once-ardent defender of the PGA Tour became the biggest name to defect to LIV Golf on Thursday, deciding the tradition and challenge of the Tour weren’t so important to him, after all. Who needs to play on courses where Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods made their mark when you can stage glorified exhibitions with the Cleeks and the HyFlyers!
So long as the price is right, that is.
All his talk about “fealty” to the PGA Tour, of wanting to play against the best in the world in tournaments steeped in history, and Rahm turned out to be no better than his buddies Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia. Once the figure the Saudis were dangling got high enough, Rahm was quick to abandon all he’d once stood for.
As for the blood on the hands of his new employers that is now staining his own, well, all those zeroes make it easier to overlook. If nothing else, he can use one of his stacks of cash to wipe it off.
In photos: Jon Rahm through the years
The damage to Rahm’s reputation, and the Tour he supposedly loved so much, can never be undone.
Jon Rahm has officially joined LIV Golf.
Much like Rory McIlroy, Rahm had staked out a position as the conscience of golf, someone who saw LIV for the shameless money grab it is and wanted no part of it. He said as much. Many, many, many times.
“I already make an amazing living doing what I do. I’m extremely thankful, and that all happened because of the platform the PGA Tour provided me,” Rahm said in July. “As far as I’m concerned, they’ve done enough for me, and their focus should be on improving the PGA Tour and the game of golf for the future generations.”
Jon Rahm of Spain raises their cap as they acknowledge the crowd after putting on the 18th green on Day Three of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 22, 2023 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Instead, he’s made it more difficult for the Tour to exist in its current form. This will be a setback for whatever détente PGA Tour overlords thought they’d brokered through their agreement with LIV earlier this year, and there’s no telling how it will get resolved. Odds are pretty good the folks with an endless supply of money will eventually get their way, however, and the giddiness of LIV chief operating officer Lawrence Burian on Thursday night…
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