Jon Rahm stands by LIV Golf switch amid breakaway tour funding crisis
Jon Rahm insists he has no regrets over joining LIV Golf, despite Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrawing financial support for the breakaway circuit at the end of the year.
The long-term survival of the Saudi-backed venture remains in serious doubt after its primary benefactors announced plans to end their massive financial backing.
However, the Spaniard says he will not rewrite history regarding his controversial choice to leave the traditional establishment.
“I would say I’ve made a lot of decisions in my life and I’ve never gone back thinking ‘Oh, had I known this again, I would do X and Y different’,” said Rahm.
“If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be a very pessimistic person.”
Speculating on what could have been different makes little sense to the 31-year-old, who remains firmly focused on what he can control.
Securing his Ryder Cup future
While five-time major winner Brooks Koepka successfully negotiated a return to the PGA Tour following a December rule change, his fellow rebel opted to remain under his lucrative long-term contract.
Instead, the two-time major champion recently secured an agreement with the DP World Tour.
This crucial deal ensures he retains his European membership and vital eligibility for next year’s Ryder Cup.
With his immediate team future secured, the former world number one is eager to concentrate on claiming a third major title at this week’s US PGA Championship.
“It is something we’ve had to deal with but it’s just some things that are out of my control,” he added regarding the boardroom uncertainty.
He admits that fixing a struggling business is not among his talents, leaving that responsibility entirely to the executives in charge.
“I have faith in the work that they’re doing. I have faith that they’re going to come up with a good plan.”
Jon Rahm
McIlroy welcomes changing landscape
The sudden withdrawal of Saudi funding, which has exceeded £4bn since 2022, has drawn varying reactions from the sport’s biggest names.
Rory McIlroy, a staunch traditionalist and outspoken critic of the rebel league, expressed relief at the dramatic shift in professional golf.
The Northern Irishman openly admitted he was glad to be wrong about his previous calls for the PGA Tour to strike a compromise deal with their rivals.
“I think everyone knows, like with everything that’s happening in the Middle East, that had a lot to do with it,” McIlroy noted.
He added that tying the sport’s financial future to a volatile geopolitical landscape was always going to be a risky endeavour.
“Whenever you have funding tied so much to the geopolitical landscape in the world, that’s a tricky road.”