Jon Rahm, Just Months Removed from PGA Tour, Hopes for Way Back In

Jon Rahm shocked the golf world when he decided he would defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in November. 

Just months removed from the Tour, he already is hoping for a way back in.

Rahm was perhaps the biggest name on the PGA Tour to defect to LIV Golf. It was not an easy decision, he admitted during a press conference on Tuesday ahead of LIV’s event in Las Vegas.

He hopes his career on the PGA Tour is not completely over:

“I truly hope that things can come together. I’m just hoping that we get to a point where it’s coherent and there is coexistence and there’s a path for people to enjoy the same perks that you have the tours.”

Jon Rahm’s first shot with LIV Golf. 👀pic.twitter.com/3mkYffHU3G

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 2, 2024

Rahm admitted there are several events on the Tour that he will miss, this weekend’s WM Phoenix Open being one of them:

“Driving by Phoenix as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn’t going to play there, it’s definitely emotional. That’s one of the things that I’m going to miss.”

However, the large sum of money, rumored to be around $300 million, changed Rahm’s once-loyal tone to the Tour:

“Now, when they slap you with a large amount of money in your face, your feelings do change. I try not to be a materialistic person, but I do owe it to my family as well to set them up for success the best I can, and having kids, I think, changed that quite a bit. So the money is a part of it, I’m not going to lie.”

Rahm sees a path back to playing Tour events, even if it does take some time. The PGA Tour and the PIF, which has funded LIV Golf’s operations, have agreed to a merger, but the terms are still being worked out.

All Rahm wants is a chance, at least eventually, to play alongside his former colleagues on the PGA Tour:

“If there’s ever a way back and a way where we can play, even if it’s as an invite, I will take it. There’s certain events that are special to me that I would still love to support.”

Cover Image via BBC