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Jon Rahm has opened up on the motives behind his LIV Golf U-turn, admitting that money was a factor in the change in his feelings towards leaving the PGA Tour for the rebel circuit.
Rahm, 29, became LIV Golf’s biggest signing to date when he defected from the PGA Tour for a reported $500million in December.
The move was a U-turn on the Spaniard’s previous comments on the breakaway when he pledged fealty to the PGA Tour and claimed that no amount of money would change his life.
Following his LIV debut in Mexico last week, the reigning Masters champion opened up on the motivation behind his about-face.
Jon Rahm has opened up on his LIV Golf U-turn, admitting that money was a factor in the move
The Spaniard made his debut on the breakaway last week following his $500million defection
‘I’d say there was two instances,’ said Rahm on the latest episode of GOLF’s ‘Breakthrough’.
‘I think dynamics started to change and there was a lot of division at that time. And yes, for me to want to change, there had to be reasons beyond the money, right? So when I said that [in June 2022] I fully meant it and it was true. Now, when they slap you with a large amount of money in your face, your feelings do change.
‘I try not to be a materialistic person, but I do owe it to my family as well to set them up for success the best I can, and having kids I think changed that quite a bit. So the money is a part of it; I’m not going to lie. But again, when I said that I wasn’t fully aware of what I was saying because you don’t really understand.’
However, it appears it wasn’t money alone that opened the door to Rahm’s defection as he admitted that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s truce, which was called through the June 6 framework agreement, also played a role.
‘What opened the door a little bit was that PGA Tour and LIV agreement,’ Rahm added. ‘So when that happened, I was like, well, we are definitely coming together. There is something happening, so at least I owe it to myself to hear what they have to offer and what their vision is. I figured I owed it to myself to hear them out, which is what I did when the season was over.’
The Masters champion admitted that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s truce also opened the door
Rahm played his first event on the rebel circuit since his $500m signing in December, teeing it up at El Camaleon at Mayakoba, Mexico last week.
He agonizingly fell short of taking home the individual honors, bogeying his final two holes to miss out on a playoff with Sergio Garcia and eventual winner Joaquin Niemann.
However, he took some consolation in a team win for Legion XIII – LIV’s first expansion team which he captions.
Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, 19-year-old Caleb Surratt and qualifier Kieran Vincent ran away with the team win with a score of 24-under on their debut.
Rahm’s team Legion XIII, featuring Kieran Vincent, Caleb Surratt and Tyrrell Hatton won
Yet, while he insisted he doesn’t regret his decision to switch sides, Rahm did lament missing out on some PGA Tour events while speaking to the media ahead of the second LIV event of the season in Las Vegas this week.
‘I’m hoping that in the near future I can be back playing some of those events,’ Rahm told reporters Tuesday at Las Vegas Country Club, the site of this week’s LIV Golf event. ‘I would certainly love to go back and play some of them.
‘If there’s ever a way back and a way where we can play, even if it’s as an invite, I will take it. There’s certain events that are special to me that I would still love to support.’
‘It was a lot harder to be at home not competing and know that those events were going on,’ he added. ‘Palm Springs and Torrey, those weeks were hard. I’ve explained so many times how important Torrey is for me.’
