The golf world spent 2023 locked in lawsuits and bitter recruiting wars. Remember when the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced a framework agreement in June 2023 to unify their commercial interests in men’s professional golf? One name in that stood out. Jimmy Dunne, the man who got the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s PIF to the negotiating table in June.
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He mediated the framework agreement but walked away from the board a year later when the deal went nowhere. Since then, he has remained one of LIV’s sharpest critics, unafraid to say the league was never good for the sport. Now, his name is back in the conversation, tied to John Rahm, as the league is buckling under its own crisis and its biggest players look to leave.
Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch wrote about Rahm’s sighting with Jimmy Dunne in his latest piece:
“To that end, it’s encouraging that spies saw Rahm playing golf a few days ago on Long Island with his longtime friend Jimmy Dunne, the former PGA Tour board member who isn’t at all timid about delivering unvarnished counsel, if he’s asked.”
Perhaps just a catch-up with an old friend, but it comes at a time when the Spaniard has conspicuously remained silent on his LIV future all year.
For context, Jimmy Dunne joined the PGA Tour policy board in January 2023 and became one of the three men alongside Jay Monahan and Ed Herlihy to negotiate the framework agreement with Saudi Arabia. However, shortly after, he resigned in May 2024, citing no meaningful progress and calling his role utterly superfluous once players took control of the new board.
He has since said he wishes he stayed out of LIV talks altogether as the league he helped bring to the table now faces a possible shutdown. Moreover, Dunne has never hidden his skepticism for LIV, which makes Ram’s private round with him more than a catch-up.
As for Jon Rahm, he stands at a crucial turning point. He turned down the PGA Tour’s return pathway in early 2026, the same offer Brooks Koepka accepted. Since then, he has faced a tougher version of the same decision: whether to rejoin the PGA Tour or serve out his suspension.
But given LIV’s collapse, he has taken measures. He leaned into the DP World Tour earlier this year, forfeiting all his due fines. His position on the DP World Tour can serve as one of the options he has if LIV collapses, but his move to the PGA Tour still remains unconfirmed.
Jon Rahm’s position on LIV Golf remains unclear, but the league has been faltering under its own crisis. The league’s $40 million season finale in Michigan has reportedly been scrapped this year, the second event canceled in 2026 since PIF folded funding.
Moreover, their backed league, the Asian Tour, joined a new alliance with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in July. As per recent reports, they have also withdrawn from the International Series that once helped them economically.
For now, Jon Rahm faces a crucial crossroads. Rejoin the PGA Tour and serve a suspension, lean into the DP World Tour alone, or ride out LIV’s future and hope O’Neil’s new money holds up. None of the three are especially appealing. And for now, he’s offering silence and a round of golf with someone who has seen the fight up close.