Jon Rahm has been confirmed as the latest elite golfer to join up with LIV Golf, signing for next season.
The announcement on Thursday night could mark a seismic shift in where the power lies in anticipated talks between the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), who bankroll LIV, and the PGA Tour.
Discussions between the two parties are expected this month to try and resolve the future of the sport, after golf has spent the past couple of years either side of a bitter split since LIV launched their rival tour - only for a surprise merger agreement to be sprung on players in June of this year.
Rahm, however, as the current Masters champion and one of the world’s top players, will be seen as an enormous coup for LIV Golf, given some other top names including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have remained steadfastly opposed to joining them.
Earlier this month, the Spaniard had pulled out of the inaugral TGL season set up by Woods, citing an inability to match the levels of commitment needed to partake. He made no reference at the time to joining LIV Golf but rumours had already begun to spread by that time.
Jordan Spieth, a fellow golfer and member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, recently spoke about the possibility of Rahm moving Tours and acknowledged he’d be a massive loss.
“Rahm is one of the biggest assets that we have on the PGA Tour,” he said at the time. “I know there’s been some guys that have talked to him. I know he’s maybe weighing some decisions … I could speak probably on behalf of 200-plus PGA Tour players in saying that we really hope that he’s continuing with us.”
Rahm previously insisted financial rewards and the format of LIV Golf did not interest him, saying then “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years.” He was a member of Europe’s successful Ryder Cup team earlier this year.
