A first bombshell shook golf last June with the agreement between the PIF (Public Investment Foundation of Saudi Arabia) and the PGA Tour. That shock wave is still shaking the waters of a sport that is counting down the hours until December 31, the date on which the aforementioned pact should be formalized. The offices in Jedah (Saudi Arabia) and Jacksonville (Florida) are a hive of lawyers and executives drafting clauses against the clock to try to seal an alliance with many conflicting points. However, there is a secret weapon that could tip the balance of the agreement: Jon Rahm.
The one from Barrika has a foot and a half in LIV Golf. The rumor started on the Sunday of the last DP World Tour tournament. This newspaper received the news from one of the highest executives of the formerly called European Circuit. From then on, a whole investigative task began that was met with an absolute silence that is especially striking when it comes from the direct environment of the Spanish player, who did not want to speak out, when on other occasions he did come out to attack the rumor, to deny his possible move to the Saudi league.
In September 2022, it was precisely Jon Rahm who came forward to deny a social media post from one of the most active accounts about LIV Golf. LIV Golf Insider published that the Spaniard had agreed to move to LIV. “I have to inform you that you have started a bad streak because you and your sources are wrong,” Jon said. So, he also immediately denied it when this newspaper raised the issue with his family and his manager.
Just a few months before, in June 2022, on the occasion of the US Open, Jon Rahm made his position and opinion very clear regarding what the Saudi tour meant for him. “Three days for me is not a golf tournament, and no cut. It’s that simple. I want to play against the best in the world in a format that has been around for hundreds of years.” The Spaniard went further: “Yes, money is great, but when Kelley and I saw what was happening and we started talking about it, we thought: would our lifestyle change if I won 400 million dollars? No, it won’t change anything.” “I could retire right now with what I’ve done and live a very happy life and never play golf again. I’ve never actually played for financial reasons. I do it for the love of this sport and I want it to be against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour owns all of that. “There is a meaning when you win certain tournaments and that matters a lot to me,” he added then.
The question right now is obvious, what has changed in just over a year for Rahm to pluck the daisy and negotiate with the Saudis? The most notable difference is the possibility of an agreement that may allow Barrika (even if he emigrates to LIV) to continue competing in the most important tournaments of the PGA Tour and in the Ryder Cup. Could this negotiation be a measure of pressure to emerge better positioned In our supposed structure of the PGA Tour that aims to make its players partners in the business?