Weeks have gone by since we learned Jon Rahm was leaving LIV Golf after three years with the upstart league. We only knew that based on statements his lawyers made in LIV bankruptcy court. We hadn’t heard anything directly from Rahm.
But that changed in a big way on Tuesday.
Rahm is making the first start of his post-LIV career at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship this week, and on Tuesday he sat down for his first press conference as a former LIV Golf pro.
In responses to reporters’ questions, Rahm revealed both the specific reasons he wasn’t interested in signing up for LIV 2.0 and discussed the possibility of making a PGA Tour return in 2027.
Jon Rahm on LIV exit: ‘It wasn’t really ever much of a consideration to be honest’
On Tuesday morning in Abu Dhabi, Rahm opened his first response by calling his three years with LIV Golf, which he joined in 2023 on a reported nine-figure deal, “a wonderful experience,” saying he “played a lot of good golf” during his time with the league.
Then, when pressed for details on why he decided to leave LIV, Rahm revealed that while he loved the original LIV, he was not “thrilled” with the plans for LIV 2.0.
“Why I rejected the terms? As much as I liked the project and the idea on, let’s say, LIV 1.0, I wasn’t thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0 and I just wasn’t willing to follow that path, right. It wasn’t anything special, anything that stood out,” Rahm explained.
He continued: “I just, yeah, I didn’t like what they were going with 2.0.”
As far as we know, the current vision for LIV 2.0 involves a shorter season with fewer events and smaller prize purses. A 10-event schedule has been floated, five of which would be team events.
But at this point, those are simply visions. Nothing has been formally decided. LIV is still trying to land commitments from players to secure full investments for the future. As commitment deadlines have come and gone, star players continue to flee LIV, mostly to rejoin the DP World Tour full-time.
The lack of certainty around LIV’s future played a big role in Rahm’s decision to depart, as did changes that Rahm claimed make LIV more of a “regular tour.”
“Too many unknowns at the time and there are still quite a few. It seemed like it was going away from team golf and some of the things that made LIV, LIV. It just became more of a regular tour,” Rahm said on Tuesday.
For those reasons, Rahm revealed that he never seriously considered signing up for LIV 2.0.
“So yeah, it wasn’t really ever much of a consideration to be honest,” he said.
Rahm talks possible PGA Tour return: ‘There’s still a question mark’
Now the question for Rahm is this: what’s next?
The DP World Tour is Rahm’s most obvious avenue for playing time, and he confirmed as much on Tuesday, saying the tour has been “really gracious” in allowing him to play its events, like this week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, the season’s first playoff event.
As for the PGA Tour, Rahm admitted “things are a little bit different.”
He said he has not yet started negotiations with the PGA Tour over a possible 2027 return, and until he does, his plan is to play the full season in Europe.
“So I have yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there’s any path back for next year,” Rahm explained. “So I don’t know, as of right now. Until I get clarity on that, yeah, my plan would be to spend the year on the DP World Tour, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Rahm is not the first LIV star to leave with the hopes of making a PGA Tour return. One year ago, Brooks Koepka ended his LIV career and rejoined the PGA Tour via the Returning Member Program. That avenue was open to Rahm as well last year, but he declined it. That route is closed now, and Rahm acknowledged he’s facing “different circumstances” than Koepka did.
“I don’t know what is in store for us. We know what they did with Brooks [Koepka]. This is different circumstances. I don’t know what things are going to look like,” Rahm said on Tuesday.
Later in his press conference, Rahm openly pondered whether Koepka’s path back to the PGA Tour could open back up for him.
“I haven’t really gone too deeply into it just because there’s still a question mark, right. Obviously Brooks was able to go back through certain circumstances. I don’t know if the possibility of that would be open for me or not,” Rahm said. “But if I have to fulfill a one-year suspension, I think it’s a pretty good position to be that a worst-case scenario I get to play on a wonderful tour for a whole year.”
Even if he is granted an accelerated pathway back to the PGA Tour, where he’s won 11 times, Rahm declared that he would still play DP World Tour events to support the European circuit.
“I will be supporting the tour, for sure, and even if I get to go and play PGA Tour events, I’ll still play European Tour events, as well,” Rahm said. “I’ll play some events that I want to play like I’ve done in the past and maybe a few more.”
While LIV 2.0 is in dire straits, the Rahm 2.0 era officially begins on Thursday.
