Two-time major winner Jon Rahm has officially decided to leave LIV Golf in his rearview mirror. His exit could be the beginning of an exodus that could leave the breakaway tour in shambles and with a lack of players for its LIV 2.0 in 2027. However, there’s one player who doesn’t have anywhere else to go—Richard Bland.
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“Well, apart from the Legends Tour, I have nowhere else to play,” Bland told Flushing It on X. “I’m banned until next August on the PGA Tour Champions… And, you know, I don’t have the desire to go back to the DP World Tour and start from the bottom again. I’m too old for that.
“I’m 54 next year, and I’m done chasing after the game and trying to work my way up the ladder. I’ve done that for 25 years. The last few years on LIV have been absolutely brilliant, and if LIV doesn’t come off, I’ll play the senior majors.”
Bland, who signed with LIV back in June 2022, isn’t wrong. He won the 2024 Senior PGA Championship, followed by the US Senior Open title. However, he failed to escape the consequences of playing with LIV Golf. He didn’t pay the fines that would have allowed him to compete in the European Tour. Regardless, Bland’s comments came as LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil is running out of time.
After securing initial funding from BC Partners after Saudi Arabia’s PIF withdrew their funding in April, O’Niel managed to extend player commitment to 25th October. Although that date is less than 20 days away, BC Partners can extend that date further if they want. Still, it goes without saying that the rebel league needs enough players to keep itself alive in 2027.
Since Bland has decided to stick with LIV Golf, he will have to play for a reduced purse. The standard individual event prize money has been cut nearly in half, dropping from $20 million to $10.1 million. Even the winner’s share has been reduced from $4 million to roughly $2.2 million. Also, as part of the changes, the field size is expected to expand from 57 to 75.
The league will also move away from the no-cut system and transition its tournaments into a 72-hole structure from the 54-hole format it had followed.
In any case, it’s not just Rahm who has left the tour. Sergio Garcia asked the bankruptcy court to terminate his contract with LIV Golf, which has since been granted, making him a free agent. Others like Cameron Smith, An Byeong-hun, Marc Leishman, Cameron Tringale, and Matthew Wolff are also trying to exit LIV Golf.
Of course, Jon Rahm and Garcia can play on the PGA Tour, but getting in might not be as easy. Although Brooks Koepka found his way into the tour through the Returning Members Program, PGA Tour CEO Bryan Rolapp isn’t very keen on extending that invitation to other LIV stars. Jon Rahm, of course, could continue playing for the DP World Tour.
He paid the fines against him to the DP World Tour for competing in a rival league, allowing him to compete in their events. Not to mention, the European Tour recently announced that it will not grant conditional releases to LIV Golfers. This has forced players to choose between the DP World Tour and the rebel league, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
That being said, it appears that while the biggest players are leaving the breakaway tour, Richard Bland has found himself stuck with LIV Golf, which may not even have a future.