Jon Rahm on LIV Golf contract: ‘I don’t see many ways out’

Sterling, VA – two-time major champion john rahm He said he has several years left on his contract with LIV Golf and does not see “a lot of takeaways” as the league attempts to find new financing after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it would withdraw its funding after this season.

Trump also during a news conference Tuesday ahead of this week’s LIV golf tournament at National Golf Club, Rahm Revealed that they have settled their long dispute with DP World Tour On his unpaid fine for playing in conflicting events without release.

The agreement allows the former world No. 1 to regain eligibility to compete for the European team at next year’s Ryder Cup.

“Right now, I have several years left on my contract,” Rahm said. “I’m pretty sure they did a great job when they drafted him, so I don’t see any way out. Right now, I’m not really thinking about it because we still have a season to play and big competitions to compete in. It’s not something I want to think about right now.”

Rahm, 31, is the two-time defending LIV Golf individual champion and leads the league in points with two wins and three runner-up finishes this season. The PIF announced last Thursday that it would no longer fund LIV Golf after this season.

Rahm said Tuesday that LIV golfers were told the PIF funding would be in place for “several years.”

“Honestly, I think the early news and rumors in Mexico, since we’re in a tournament week, I tried to make it seem like it was just rumors,” he said. “Because we’re competing, I didn’t want to waste any energy in an already demanding week thinking about it.

“For me, reality came later. I would say, like everyone else, [I was] Astonished. obviously, [it was] unexpected. We did hear the news that the funding would be for several years. But then as the future of the league moves forward, I think it’s obviously a question for businessmen.”

Earlier on Tuesday, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neill told reporters that the league is in the process of developing a business plan, securing golfers and then taking the league to market.

O’Neill replaces former LIV Golf CEO and commissioner greg norman In January 2025.

The league lured star golfers away from the PGA Tour with guaranteed contracts worth more than $100 million – Rahm reportedly received $300 million over several years – and purses that now reach $30 million.

The PIF has invested more than $5 billion in the breakaway circuit since its inception in 2022, and that number will grow to more than $6 billion by the end of the season.

“I knew very early on that we had to right-size this business, and that’s where we find ourselves now,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said last weekend he received about a dozen calls from potential investors, including private-equity firms and other high-net-worth individuals.

“It’s still early,” O’Neill said. “We haven’t reached the market yet. We haven’t finalized our business plan. We’re still selecting and testing, but at this point we have a good sense, you know, 10 days in. We know where we’re going, and now we’re just going to tighten the screws.”

No matter what happens, O’Neill said LIV Golf will not lose its focus on team golf, which has set it apart from other professional golf leagues around the world. He believes that selling shares of LIV teams like Legion XIII, Crushers GC and RangeGoats GC will generate the most value.

“If you ask me where the value in this business is, it’s in the teams,” O’Neill said. “If you’re looking for direction, we believe the teams will have extraordinary value. We believe that once we position the business in the right direction, with the right trajectory, with the right revenue base and cost base, which we are on our way to doing, these teams will have extraordinary value.”

of England Tyrell HattonAnother member of Rahm’s Legion XIII team also said he has several years left on his LIV Golf contract.

“We want to be here,” Rahm said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I want to keep competing. I want to share some time.” [my teammates]But time will tell. Obviously, I think Scott and his team have a lot of hard work to do.”

O’Neill said it was too early to say whether LIV Golf would have to move forward with smaller purses and fewer tournaments each season to reduce costs.

Rahm said, “I think the captains and team owners and players involved in the league should, in short, have a large majority to agree to make it work.” “I’m confident that changing the business plan, no matter what they come up with, will require some concessions on their part.”