Jon Rahm‘s silence about his future is deafening at the worst moment for LIV Golf. The league and Scott O’Neil recently announced they have found an unnamed lead to sponsor them $300 million, yet one voice inside the game says the money means nothing if either of the league’s two biggest names walks away. Eamon Lynch from Golf Channel laid out the stakes during a conversation with Damon Hack.

“I think the loss of DeChambeau or the loss of Rahm, either one of them, would be the death knell to this entire operation,” he said.

DeChambeau has stayed close to the project alongside CEO Scott O’Neil and new investors while also building his own YouTube-driven ventures on the side. His current LIV contract expires this year, giving him the room to walk away on his own terms.

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Jon Rahm, meanwhile, was reportedly left out of his deal, and Lynch argued that debt cuts both ways. If Rahm senses LIV cannot make good on it, and if he feels the reduced schedule and shrinking purses are hurting his broader career, he may look for an exit.

Though losing either player could hurt LIV, Lynch feels it would suffer more losses from the Spaniard’s exit.

“I think Jon Rahm is the lynchpin. To me, Jon Rahm is the one who would look at this from a competitive standpoint.”

Rahm left the PGA Tour as the world’s third-ranked player and two-time major champion, giving LIV the strongest credibility with skeptics who dismissed the league as a recruitment tour. His contract, reportedly worth close to $150 million in remaining money, makes him the single largest asset on LIV’s books. His departure would directly shape investor appetite.

And although Rahm has not officially announced he’s leaving the breakaway league, his latest moves suggest otherwise. He settled his outstanding fines with the DP World Tour in May, clearing the path to rejoin the European circuit and secure his spot for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. He has since added the Genesis Scottish Open and the Amgen Irish Open to his 2026 schedule.

Yet, Lynch firmly believes that Rahm alone will not do it. He has tied it to DeChambeau’s fanbase, which is largely built on YouTube. Although no single player can turn LIV Golf into a massive profit, the two players might.

Even as the league prepares for a rebrand, Lynch stops short of guaranteeing either player will stay—the crux of Lynch’s argument. LIV needs the investor, timing, and both players to make the rebrand work beyond 2026.