Jon Rahm has shed light on why he departed LIV Golf. The 31-year-old was among the first to exit the breakaway league as it attempted to restructure itself amid bankruptcy proceedings. Although Rahm had the opportunity to return under the proposed LIV 2.0 model in 2027, the Spaniard ultimately turned down the offer. Yet, he insists that his three-year stint with the league was far from a negative experience.
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“I would say I can only reflect on those three years as a positive,” Rahm told the media on Tuesday, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. “It was a wonderful experience. Played a lot of good golf. Obviously, individually and as a team, we did great.”
As for why he rejected the offer, Jon Rahm claims LIV 2.0 was heading in a direction that didn’t fit his goals for his future.
“I wasn’t thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0, and I just wasn’t willing to follow that path,” he explained. “It wasn’t anything special, anything that stood out. I just didn’t like what they were going with 2.0.”
LIV 2.0, of course, will see a drastically modified schedule with fewer events and even less prize money. More importantly, the league is now moving toward a more traditional format, with player fields expanding to 75 and the introduction of cuts and Monday qualifiers. Even though the rebel league is expected to keep its team-based competition format and shotgun starts, Rahm remains unconvinced.
“Too many unknowns at the time and there are still quite a few,” he added. “It seemed like it was going away from team golf and some of the things that made LIV, LIV. It just became more of a regular tour.”
By turning down LIV 2.0, Jon Rahm also walked away from claims to roughly $100 million that the league reportedly owed him. However, Rahm insists he has “no” regrets about leaving behind the money he was promised when he joined the breakaway tour three years ago. Now, he is preparing to tee off on the DP World Tour this week.
He will join the field at Yas Links on Thursday to compete for the lion’s share of the $9 million up for grabs. Rahm should get used to competing on the DP World Tour because an immediate return to the PGA Tour isn’t possible. And he knows that pretty well.
“As of right now, I really don’t know what 2027 is going to look like for me,” he said.
Rahm was among four LIV Golf players offered a pathway back to the PGA Tour earlier this year. The proposed terms came with several restrictions, including a $5 million fine, a five-year ban on receiving equity grants, and no direct access to Signature Events or FedEx Cup bonus money. Rahm declined, with Brooks Koepka being the only player among the four to accept the PGA Tour’s terms and make his return.
Still, Rahm admitted that if the American circuit offers him the same deal again, he would probably accept it.
“Obviously Brooks was able to go back through certain circumstances,” Rahm said. “I don’t know if the possibility of that would be open for me or not, but if I have to fulfill a one-year suspension, I think it’s a pretty good position to be… Most likely, yeah. Why not? Yeah, but it’s a big if. I seriously doubt I get offered the same deal that Brooks did. But yeah, if I got offered exactly the same penalties at him, I probably would do it, yes.”
For now, Rahm intends to continue competing on the DP World Tour. However, the Spaniard has some work to do if he wants to secure a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. Currently ranked 51st in the Race to Dubai standings, Jon Rahm needs to break into the top 50 to qualify for the season finale.