There isn’t much life left in LIV.
The writing is on the wall that LIV—which will soon lose funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund—is either going to die after the 2026 season or fade into a much smaller, less disruptive entity.
LIV’s fraudulent business model was completely dependent on grossly overpaying players. All of the potential value was supposed to be in the franchises but those franchises are virtually worthless.
One of those players who was grossly overpaid? Jon Rahm, who reportedly signed for $300 million in December 2023. We definitely know it was a long-term contract since Rahm just admitted as much.
“Right now, I have several years in my contract left. I’m pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that so I don’t see many ways out. Right now, I’m not really thinking about it because we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. It’s not something I want to think about just yet.”
Yikes, man. Absolute yikes. The lawyers are going to rack up some billable hours on this one.
It was all so avoidable.
Instead, Rahm has looked like a total buffoon
I enjoy watching Rahm play golf. He’s an incredible talent. I would even say I greatly enjoyed hearing Rahm press conferences back in the 2020-2023 era in particular. He had been emerging as one of the most interesting voices in the game.
But the past three years, dating back to his decision to join LIV, have made Rahm look like an idiot.
At the end of the day, Rahm has been a shell of himself as a competitor the last two and a half years. One of the most passionate players in the game has been neutered.
More than that, his decision to join LIV helped lengthen golf’s civil war. We could have had this thing wrapped up a couple of years ago if he didn’t throw LIV a lifeline.
Let me take you back to 2022 when news of LIV’s reality was first becoming firm. This is what Rahm said at the time.
“There’s been a lot of talk and speculation on the Saudi league and it’s just not something that I believe is best for me and my future in golf and I think the best legacy I can accomplish is on the PGA Tour.
“Everybody’s free to make their own choice, it’s as simple as that. All I can say is from somebody young like myself who has his entire future ahead of him, it doesn’t seem like a smart thing. Again, the only appeal I see is monetary, right? So like I said just earlier on, I think there’s a lot more to be able to play for besides just money on the PGA Tour. There’s history, there’s legacy. At the end of the day, I’m in this to win tournaments, I’m in this to play against the best in the world.”
That’s an admirable stance.
And what did he do? He went directly against that.
My first article for MGS was talking about Rahm’s decision. Here is what I wrote at the time:
“Rahm is the latest in a long line of important people who have prioritized their own business interests ahead of the greater good, causing professional golf to eat itself from the inside.”
A lot of people in the comments didn’t like that line. But nearly three years later, I stand by it just as much as when I wrote it originally. Rahm didn’t have to be selfish, but he was. In the long run, it has hurt him and the game as a whole.
The guy who always says he is driven by competition, a passion for the game and following in the footsteps of his Spanish heroes like Seve Ballesteros? He took a long-term contract for the money and became a worse golfer in the process.
Throughout his time on LIV, Rahm has sounded like the life has been sucked out of him. Not only that, but he’s been simultaneously petty and vindictive about the entire process.
Where is the joy in his golf? Where is the anger in his golf?
I don’t see it. I just see a guy who made a serious mistake and is going through the motions.
He has all the energy of a hostage trying to negotiate with his captor.
Rahm was supposed to be the guy
Our expectations for Rahm are high.
He’s a top-five talent in the world. He has the capacity to be the No. 1 player in the world.
It’s one thing to watch Cameron Smith waste his talent. That’s a tough one. Smith was an awesome player. Seeing him miss major cuts by the handful is not fun.
But Rahm’s ceiling is twice as high as Smith’s.
Rahm left for LIV in the prime of his career, when he had two majors and was embarking on a quest to be one of the greatest golfers ever.
Seeing him toil away on LIV and then be uncompetitive at majors is seriously depressing. It may be the single most depressing part of this entire thing.
And now he looks like some prisoner.
Oh, so now Rahm can suddenly strike a deal with the DP World Tour to play in their events and join the European Ryder Cup team? It just took years of fines and bickering.
What changed? LIV is in trouble and Rahm wants a way out. Now he’s open to negotiating.
So you ignored everyone at the PGA Tour who told you not to go to LIV in the first place. You threw LIV a lifeline when they hadn’t signed a meaningful player since inception. You decided on money over legacy and competition. You turned your back on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. You became a worse player.
Man, you might as well stick with LIV through whatever is left of it. If they are playing for $5-million purses next year, you might as well stick with the league.
You believed in it so much that you wagered your entire reputation on it.
Well, you got even richer. You made your obscene money. Good for you.
But you don’t get to decide your reputation.
And, to me, Rahm’s reputation is completely tarnished.
Top Photo Caption: Jon Rahm continues to be a buffoon. (GETTY IMAGES/Hector Vivas)
The post I’ve Lost All Respect For Jon Rahm appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
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