When Jon Rahm said yes to LIV Golf for a reported $300-$500 million in 2023, maybe his decision was based on financial stability. Now, after 3 years, Saudi money is drying up, and the league is having to rebuild its entire business model. The most logical question now is the simplest one: What’s next for Rahm? To this, Alan Shipnuck has an answer.

Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, Shipnuck said, “There are many possible outcomes, but ultimately, I think you’ll see Jon Rahm return to the PGA Tour. I also expect Bryson to return, whether that’s next year or after one more attempt to make LIV work. Players have a limited window in their careers, and they don’t want to spend their prime years fighting this battle.”

“Bryson DeChambeau brings box office appeal. Jon Rahm is a great player, though not as much of a star as Bryson. They’re the two key pieces. There are a lot of good young players on LIV, but the league has always been built on star power,” the golf analyst said.

Shipnuck’s verdict on Rahm carries weight partly because he has tracked this story closer than most. When LIV Golf posted a video on May 1, 2026, in which Rahm talked about his experience of winning the Masters in 2023 just before joining the LIV. Shipnuck responded with affirmation.

“Now this is what we call powering through,” Shipnuck said.

Golf media personality Trey Wingo added further fuel, stating definitively that camps representing both DeChambeau and Rahm have already contacted the PGA Tour “several times” about exploring a return.

DeChambeau, though, has denied that, saying he remains fully committed to LIV. He remains in talks with the league about his contract and reportedly asked PIF for around $500 million to re-sign. But Jon Rahm’s situation is complicated enough.

His LIV deal is up until 2028, and his future with the DP World Tour is still to be decided. He had previously rejected a conditional release offer accepted by eight of his LIV colleagues, describing the terms as “extortion,” before dropping his legal challenge. His Ryder Cup eligibility for the 2027 event at Adare Manor is now in doubt, although he has expressed confidence that a deal will be reached.

At his LIV unveiling in 2023, Rahm was unambiguous about why he was there.

“The past two years, there’s been a lot of evolution in the game of golf, and things have changed a lot and so have I. Seeing the growth and evolution and the innovation is something that’s captured my attention, and that’s why we’re here today,” he said.

Those words now sit awkwardly against a league that has burned through $5.3 billion since 2022, lost its founding chairman, and is actively pitching itself to outside investors just to survive past 2026.

LIV Golf’s Saudi safety net is gone & Jon Rahm’s 2028 contract now looks different

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the man who directly bankrolled the very existence of LIV Golf, has resigned as chairman. Gene Davis and Jon Zinman now head a restructured board with one mission: find new money before the Saudi funding officially ends after this season.

LIV CEO Scott O’Neil acknowledged the reality bluntly, saying the league is “funded through the season” and has to build a real business from here. The league has already burned through an estimated $5.3 billion since 2022 and is on pace to hit $6 billion by year-end.

The PGA Tour gave Jon Rahm, DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith until Feb. 4 to come back through the Returning Member Program this year. All three said no. Only Brooks Koepka ended up returning by forfeiting equity and bonuses and donating $5 million to charity to return in January.

LIV says 10 of its 13 teams expect to be profitable this year and is pushing a multi-partner franchise investment model. Whether that pitch attracts serious money before Jon Rahm’s 2028 contract forces a decision is the most consequential open question right now.