♟️ Rahm's major move

Rahm’s major move

As you’ve heard by now, Jon Rahm — the reigning Masters champ and the third-ranked player in the world — is heading to LIV. 

Donned in a LIV Golf letterman’s jacket, Rahm confirmed his decision on a Fox News telecast Thursday evening after weeks of speculation.

The 29-year-old Spaniard didn’t disclose how much he’ll make signing with the Saudi-backed circuit, but reports have suggested the multi-year contract is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Rahm is also expected to own part of his new LIV team, which could include more PGA Tour converts. 

"It's not an easy decision because I've had a really successful career and I've been really happy,” Rahm told Fox News. “But there's a lot of things that LIV Golf has to offer that were very, very enticing.” 

Rahm’s departure is arguably the most significant loss for the PGA Tour since LIV’s formation in 2021. It also comes at a crucial time — when the PGA Tour is negotiating with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (the money behind LIV, aka the PIF) on a deal that could potentially result in a reimagined golf league. December 31st is the deadline for those discussions. 

Here’s what the move could mean moving forward for Rahm, for the future of the men’s professional game, and for us, the fans.

For Rahm: 

To start, he just got a whole lot richer. 

Rahm’s on record saying that a $400 million paycheck from LIV wouldn’t entice him to join. But on Thursday, the Basque-bomber admitted the dollars had something to do with his decision. 

“I play golf for the love of the game,” he said. “But as a husband, as a father and as a family man, I have a duty to my family to give them the best opportunities and the most amount of resources possible. And that's where [the money] comes in. Obviously, it is a factor, and it was an important one.” 

Perhaps more important for Rahm is that, overnight, he becomes the face of LIV Golf. 

That may seem small, but as Golf Digest recently wrote, Rahm wasn’t happy with how the PGA Tour marketed him and or how some players — “below his station” — had a greater say in its overall direction.

Rahm is now LIV’s top star and could have a major say in shaping its future format. 

As for being eligible to play in the majors, Rahm will be just fine.

He’s exempt for life at Augusta (based on his 2023 Masters win), eligible for four more years at the PGA and Open Championship (based on his Masters win), and eligible for eight more years at the US Open (based on his 2021 US Open win), CBS’ Kyle Porter writes. 

Rahm’s presence on the European Ryder Cup team might be the bigger question mark — since no LIV players were allowed on this year’s squad. Rory McIlroy, however, has already tried to squash the notion that Rahm would be left off the 2025 team. 

“Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025,” McIlory told Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir on Thursday. “Because of this decision … the European Tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility. Like, absolutely. Like, there’s no question about that.” 

One question mark is how moving to LIV impact’s Rahm’s overall relevance in the game. 

Rahm is not Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy when it comes to stardom, but — especially amongst golf fans — he’s not far off. 

So too, though, was Cam Smith when he decided last year — as the world’s number two ranked golfer and fresh off an epic win at the Open Championship — to join LIV. And, when’s the last time you’ve really thought about Cam Smith or watched him play golf? 

Maybe Rahm’s move gets more people to tune into the CW for LIV tournaments. Truly, it might. Or maybe, sometime soon, the men’s game is reunited. 

Still, there is some risk for Rahm that jumping ship could mean his name fades a bit — at least as long as the PGA Tour remains golf’s premier league.

For the PGA Tour / PIF deal: 

Rahm to LIV definitely strengthens the PIF’s hand in negotiations with the PGA Tour. And, maybe it speeds up a deal coming together. 

But it could also backfire. The PGA Tour is in talks with multiple private equity groups, and as Barstool’s Dan Rapaport reported Thursday, some on the Tour’s policy board are apparently in favor of moving away from a deal with the PIF.

Signing Jon Rahm — amid late-stage negotiations — could sour discussions for the PGA Tour and nudge them to strike a deal with someone else. 

If the PGA / PIF deal does fall through, it’s fascinating (and worrisome) to play out what could happen next. 

LIV would almost surely continue to offer mind-boggling deals to the PGA Tour’s top players. But then what?

Even if LIV were losing $1 billion per year, the PIF could, in theory, fund it for years without feeling too much pain. But do they really want to do that? If not, how does LIV quickly become a real business and get anywhere close to breakeven? 

On the PGA Tour side, they’re likely going to lose more top players, which means an even more deflated product. 

Basically, this whole thing feels unsustainable and on a scary path if a merger doesn’t happen soon.

For golf fans: 

Our attention will be split for at least another year. Rahm’s decision means the PGA Tour becomes less interesting, LIV becomes a little more interesting, and even more emphasis shifts over to the four major championships — which have become the only venues where the game’s top players compete against one another. 

I think Rory — who’s off the Tour’s policy board and speaking more freely these days — said it best on Thursday.

“My fear is that if we keep going down this path, all the best players are only going to get together four times a year,” McIlroy said. “So that means golf is only going to be relevant four times a year. And that's good for no one in the game.”

What a day! What a time. And we didn’t even touch on the 5 yards you and I are going to lose from the golf ball rollback confirmed earlier this week. I’m sure we’ll touch on that and much more fallout from today’s news in newsletters to follow.

For now, goodnight and talk soon. - Nick B.