Jon Rahm slams reports claiming he regrets leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf
Jon Rahm is still trying to squash the perception that he harbors regrets over leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
If you’ll recall, at the end of 2023, the two-time major champion with 11 career PGA Tour wins accepted upwards of $300 million to join the circuit financed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Spaniard has enjoyed immense success on LIV — though casual fans may not have noticed, as viewership remains paltry. His Legion XIII squad has four wins, and Rahm took the lead in the individual standings after his emotional first victory, at LIV UK. He lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka at the Greenbrier last week.
With his inaugural LIV season nearing the finish line — the final individual event (Chicago) and the Team Championship (Dallas) are in September — here’s what Jon Rahm said about leaving the PGA Tour, the Ryder Cup, and more.
Jon Rahm is “very happy” at LIV Golf
“There’s zero validity to what any of that said. I don’t know where it came from.,” Rahm told the New York Post while in town for the U.S. Open. “I don’t know why they feel the need to say that some of us are unhappy when we’re not. It’s one of the things that frustrates me a little bit, the fact that they can claim that there’s a source and there’s zero truth to it.”
In non-LIV events (in front of mainstream audiences) Rahm has endured a roller-coaster 2024. At the Masters, Rahm, as the defending champion, struggled to a T45. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship. Around the same time, he insisted he was happy at LIV but acknowledged PGA Tour FOMO.
On top of it all, Rahm and his wife have navigated the struggles of starting a family.
“My wife and I did not have the easiest pregnancy this year, and if at any point it didn’t seem like me, having health scares and life-threatening scenarios I think are reason enough to maybe be that way, and that can easily influence my golf,” Rahm recently told Fox News Digital. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve played great most of the season, and I don’t regret my decision one bit.”
In June Rahm withdrew from the U.S. Open with a toe injury. He bounced back with an encouraging T7 at the Open Championship, amidst a LIV hot streak. Legion XIII — comprised of Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Kieran Vincent, and Caleb Surratt — have two wins and a third-place this summer.
“I’m very comfortable with my decision, very happy with my decision, very, very eager for the future of my team and the league,” explained Rahm. “I get to be a part of something very different to what we had in the past. I always enjoyed being part of a team and to be in charge of one now is something incredible.”
”We’re starting to run away with it!”
Reflecting on the huge win at @livgolf_league UK #LegionXIII #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/8e4ZKIlbKC
— Legion XIII (@LegionXIIIgc) August 22, 2024
Rahm compared what he considers media-driven speculation about his career moves with the coverage Koepka received in 2023.
“They did that with Brooks last season. They have to come up with somebody being unhappy, and the truth is, we’re all extremely happy.
“Do I have buyer’s remorse? No. I don’t have buyer’s remorse,” Rahm added. “It’s been a really fun ride. I’ve had bad years in majors before – before that, they blamed it on me not being able to control my emotions, they would compare me to something else. Matter of fact is, I just played bad, plain and simple. I don’t know what else to tell you. I think a lot of people are letting themselves pick and choose and judging my year based on three events. Yeah, Masters, not good, PGA, not good. Really, it was two weeks, because the U.S. Open, I couldn’t play.”
Earlier this month, Rahm melted down on the world stage at the Paris Olympics — blowing a four-stroke lead in the final round at Le Golf National (he finished T5). The heartbreaking back nine, however, doesn’t negate stellar golf Rahm played for the first 63 holes.
“That was that was hard to get over, but then it is your job to do the hard part and think about it,” Rahm said. “OK, what could I have done better? Where did I go wrong? And try to learn from that. … I can look back at that week as a very positive thing, which it was. The entire week, besides an hour and a half of it, was absolutely incredible. And that’s the best way I can look at it.”
Based on PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s vague press conference ahead of the Tour Championship, it doesn’t appear that a deal with PIF is on any conceivable horizon. Rahm’s next chance to compete with PGA Tour stars may not come until the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and even that’s up the air, as Team Europe just made their qualification system less favorable to LIV players.
“Hopefully, I can be a part of the team,” said Rahm.
The post Jon Rahm slams reports claiming he regrets leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings