by Too many alpha males has long been a perceived problem in golf’s most prominent circles. Rory McIlroy has even admitted that he defers to Tiger Woods when adults need to talk. McIlroy’s longtime position as the unofficial shop steward for the PGA Tour and the threat of a vacuum LIV had others looking to him for advice. Jon Rahm has never been the type to hold back in his stride, which will no doubt please as others in the locker room have come across in a more statesmanlike manner during golf’s never-ending civil war. Rahm has an ego.
The way Rahm could overtake his peers – or even Woods, arguably the greatest player of all time – was always simple: beat them. McIlroy’s half score is two big wins. Woods claimed 15. Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth outperformed Rahm on golf’s biggest stages. If Rahm has objected to the headlines generated by McIlroy and Woods in particular, this serves as the kind of provocation that golfers can use to their own enormous advantage inside the ropes.
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Instead, Rahm now resembles little more than a pawn in Saudi Arabia’s questionable fairway dance. Looks like he’s about to move to LIV – will he join the Smashers, the Bashers, the Rangegoats or the Mountain Goats? – at a time when the PGA Tour is trying to close a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, apparently by December 31. The need for that deal to happen, in the context of other options, hasn’t increased, but now LIV has shown it can pry another marquee player from the PGA Tour. The deal is usually nonsensical in business terms, at anywhere from $300m (£240m) to $600m. It serves as a reminder to the golf establishment that Saudi investors have no intention of either going away or being deterred. Woods’ talk of “options” at the PGA Tour business table will have raised eyebrows in Riyadh.
It is fair to assume that there cannot be many redundant LIV deals left. Rahm will strike with the commercial iron red hot. Because of his proximity to Phil Mickelson and, to a lesser extent, LIV’s involvement was always possible. The rebel tour in particular needs the kind of mainstream relevance it continues to struggle for in the UK and the US.
However, flipping Rahm is difficult because of his previously stated position, more than once. He will be accused of gross hypocrisy. “I laugh when people gossip about me with LIV,” the Spaniard told a podcast in his home country a few months ago. “I never liked the format.”
Rahm was “officially announced” for the PGA Tour in early 2022. Later that year, he adamantly insisted that money was irrelevant to him. “I play for the love of the game.” He always seemed like one of the great traditionalists of the sport, inspired by the legacy of Seve Ballesteros.
Indeed, the money must be important to Rahm. His Masters win in April cemented his place in the top tier of golf’s top earners. He could make a mistake through the rest of his career – which is unlikely – and still have thousands or hundreds of millions to fall back on.
Rahm claims this is much more than dollar signs. People are entitled to change their minds. Like Cameron Smith, he has had great recent success which ensures various aspects of future participation. Chatting a group of European Ryder Cup players advocating the re-appointment of Luke Donald as captain, Rahm told his teammates that he would be back at Bethpage in 2025. If Rahm is moving he needs to have confidence not only in his own continued performance. but that golf will be aligned to the extent that it will not be denied participation. Donald was hired as captain because of Henrik Stenson turned to LIV, which means it would be a bit awkward if Rahm was booted back into the team.
Related: Rahm admits that players feel a sense of betrayal in dealing with Saudi Arabia
In his defense, Rahm was scathing about the way the PGA Tour finalized a framework agreement with PIF in June. The 29-year-old said he had lost confidence in PGA Tour leadership because of the secretive way in which the deal was set up. This is hardly an isolated sentiment; it will be a shock if PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan remains in position as the sport moves into a new era.
It is not clear what the world looks like. McIlroy, Rahm and Woods – fitness permitting – will go head-to-head in the Masters in April. Meanwhile, Saudi investors continue to flex their muscles and a limited golf audience has drawn eyes in all directions. Rahm is the cause of nothing but his apparent wooing instead a symptom of a chaotic scene.
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