PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Jon Rahm didn’t necessarily break any news Wednesday at Riviera Country Club but he did make his most definitive comments about his decision to stick with the PGA Tour while distancing himself even further from any Saudi-backed breakaway golf league.
“I wanted to take this time to say that this is my official, my one and only time to talk about this, where I am officially declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour,” he said. “I’m a PAC [Player Advisory Council] member and I have a lot of belief in Jay Monahan and the product.
“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.”
Rahm, the top-ranked player in the world and presumably a high-value target for any new pro golf league, said he has intentionally steered clear of it all. Promises of obscene riches isn’t the lure that some may think it is.
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“I don’t do this for the money, which to me is the only appeal to go over there,” he said. “They throw numbers at you and that’s supposed to impress people. I’m in this game for the love of golf and the love of the game and to become a champion.
“You hear all those things that are going on: some players might have signed some NDAs, some might have signed and committed. I’m somebody who’s stayed away from it on purpose.”
In fact, when Rahm was curious about more than rumors of mega-riches, he said he got no answers, was shown no plans.
“I made it very clear to my management team to don’t even bother me with it until this was something that was maybe real and it never came back,” he said. “The only thing they have is, you hear, ‘Oh Bryson got $135 million’ or this person got $100 million. I already made enough, more money, in my life than I ever thought I was going to make so that’s not the appealing part to me.”
When pressed about other top pros, Rahm made it clear he was only speaking for himself.
“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.”
What about those who do decide to leave the PGA Tour for some breakaway league? Should those players be allowed to play Tour events?
“I can’t speak for majors, but if you’re jumping ship and abandoning the PGA Tour chasing the product they’re offering there, no, I don’t think so.”
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