by Although John Rahm’s decision to sign with LIV, it has sent shock waves through golf. That’s not to say the Spaniard was always so adamant he wouldn’t.
The loss of the reigning Masters champion and Ryder Cup star to the Saudi rebel league raises big questions about the PGA-LIV merger, the Ryder Cup and whether the rules will need to change to accommodate one of Europe’s best players, and about the future of the game in general.
Here Telegraph Sport explains what’s going on…
Why did Rahm join LIV?
Rahm does not deny that he is out of money. He mentions when he says that he does not play golf for money per se, “but as a husband and a father and a family man, I have a duty in my family to give them the best opportunities and the amount of resources possible”. The other reason Rahm cited was that he wanted to “grow the game of golf.” That claim is sure to divide opinion, and anger those who feel he is betraying his fellow PGA Tour loyalists. Rahm, however, can point out that the PGA Tour was betrayed over the summer when it emerged that they were negotiating a merger with LIV behind the players’ backs.
Didn’t he say he wouldn’t?
He certainly did. Very thoughtfully. Since his stable was laid out early last year when he promised “this is the only time I will talk about this” and announced his “hope” for the PGA Tour, when he admitted this June past that he was not moving for the money because “I could retire now with what I have done and live a very happy life and never play golf again”, to his response in July this year when who was asked about rumors that he might be involved in LIV: “I laugh when people have a rumor with me with LIV. I never liked the format.” Rahm’s turn was great.
Is Rahm now banned from the PGA Tour?
Not technically. Rahm has already stated that he has no intention of retiring from either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, so he is still a member of the PGA Tour and the pressure will only come when he skips a PGA Tour event to leave LIV to play. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has suspended PGA Tour members who competed in LIV Golf tournaments without an adversary release. The next LIV events will take place in Mexico and Las Vegas in early February. But by that point there may be a merger agreement that will enable players to appear on both the PGA and LIV tours, or otherwise bring the two tours together.
What about the Ryder Cup?
As it stands, once Rahm plays in an LIV event, he will be suspended by the DP World Tour and asked to serve a 12-month ban and pay a £100,000 fine. This will prevent him from playing the four annual events on the DP World Tour to be eligible for Bethpage Black in 2025. Of course this has caused some consternation, especially with the superstar Team Europe Rory McIlroy says he believes the DP World Tour should change. his rules to serve Rahm. The Northern Irishman did not say the same for Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood or Sergio Garcia. But Rahm’s flaw is a game changer. The DP World Tour, for its part, says it will not be in a rush to rip up its Ryder Cup eligibility rules and will instead see where merger negotiations go.
What is happening with the merger market?
Good question. The December 31st deadline is fast approaching and no one knows what to expect. The initial framework announcement that stunned everyone in June laid out a way in which the Saudis would invest in the PGA Tour, PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan would chair the Tour and get a seat on PGA Tour Policy Board, the PGA Tour. the commissioner could decide the fate of the Tour and the LIV, and in exchange LIV would agree to drop all lawsuits against the Tour. Now? All bets are off. After the US Senate expressed concern about the merger, the PGA Tour apparently began looking at US private equity as an alternative, and LIV retaliated by signing the biggest star it could have signed (but Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods could top Rahm. ). A crucial meeting will take place next week between Monahan and Al-Rumayyan which could decide the fate of the game.
Are there any other players to transfer?
Jason Day has been mentioned in the mailings, as has Ryder Cup prospect Adrian Meronk, and American Tony Finau has also been linked. But anything could happen now. Patrick Cantlay, who sits on the PGA Tour’s policy board, is known to have had discussions with LIV, and may continue those discussions if he is not happy with the direction of travel. It could be good. After all, with Rahm gone, the PGA Tour now has a diminished product to offer potential investors. It may have to go with LIV but not at the price agreed in June, when LIV is reported to have agreed to an ‘equal pool’ of $1 billion on top of PIF’s $2 billion investment in the PGA Tour.
