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‘I Texted Him’: Jon Rahm Reveals Tiger Woods Subtly Ghosted Him Amid His ‘Personal’ LIV Golf Decision

Published 02/25/2024, 6:51 PM EST

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It appears Tiger Woods is not happy with Jon Rahm! The Spanish golfer had made waves in the community owing to his LIV Golf defection for a multimillion-dollar deal back in 2023. But, come 2024, the professional divulged how the 82-time PGA Tour champ gave him a cold shoulder following his jump to the alternate tour.

A tweet was shared by NUCLR GOLF on their X handle (previously known as Twitter), mentioning how the golfer revealed the same not too long ago on SportsCenter. It reported how the 29-year-old “reached out to Tiger Woods following his move to LIV and received no response,” unlike Rory McIlroy, who expressed support for the defection. Rahm recounted, “I texted him [Woods] and the people that try to reach out,” before going ahead to explain to them how this was “a personal decision.” 

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However, the 48-year-old did not seem to react as the LIV golfer admitted, “Tiger? No, not really,” when asked whether he backed him up. Although the Spanish pro did not elaborate any further on the American, it’s not as if the latter being one of the most loyal golfers on the PGA Tour is a secret to the golfing world. Nevertheless, it seems the two haven’t sat down to talk about the whole LIV Golf move as of yet.

The 15-time major champ has not made that many appearances following Rahm’s jump. But even when he was asked directly about the LIV golfer at the PNC Championship, he only gave a not-so-insightful response. “Well, there’s been a lot of talk over the years of certain players going, and it was speculation until it happened,” said Woods before continuing, “we assumed it was just speculation till it happened.”

Meanwhile, the 1-time major champ also divulged how he hasn’t talked to the Commissioner of the PGAT, Jay Monahan, since his defection. Adding on, he said, “I think he’s [too] busy enough to be talking to me,” despite expressing his desire to play on both circuits. But even so, it’s not as if he would get a similar response as the Northern Irishman, who once called LIV Golf, “dead in the water.”

Rory McIlroy turns softie for Jon Rahm

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In the past, Rory McIlroy had a few words about the Ryder Cup eligibility of the ex-PGA Tour player who chose LIV Golf as their new home. But the tides started to change when the Spaniard announced his decision to join the breakaway league. The 2014 PGA Championship winner expressed his desire to let Rahm play in the Ryder Cup. “He has got so much talent, he’s so tenacious, and he’s a great teammate in the Ryder Cup,” stated the golfer before going ahead to express his respect for the 29-year-old. Adding on, he boldly said, “The European Tour are going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility,” while alluding to how the DPWT hadn’t allowed the defectors to play the biennial tournament; “There’s absolutely no question about that; I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team.”

McIlroy had recently also expressed his stance on the LIV golfers coming back to the Tour. “Let them come back,” said the 34-year-old before continuing, “I don’t think there should be a punishment [for LIV players wanting to return to the PGA Tour].” This came as such a surprise to many who witnessed the golfer being one of the most staunch PGA Tour loyalists to a pro who expressed the desire to let the players from the PIF-funded league.

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Moreover, back in December 2023, the 4-time major champ admitted his mistakes while confessing how he could have judged them less. Moreover, he even used the disruptive tour to point out the apparent flaws that the Monahan-led circuit consists of. Adding on, McIlroy even confessed how, over time, he has just accepted the fact that LIV Golf is “part of our sport now.” Anyhow, Rahm would indubitably be hoping many on the PGA Tour would follow the Northern Irishman’s suit and be more embracing of the defectors.

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Written by:

Allan Abe

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Allan Abe is a Senior Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master’s Degree in English, he has covered many themes in golf as a beat writer, with in-depth coverage of instances of many golfers’ lives, like Bubba Watson and Adam Scott. Allan particularly excels at live coverage and a hole-to-hole analysis of events.
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Edited by:

Tushhita Barua

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