PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf agree shock merger
Jon Rahm’s on-course earnings are set to be blown out of the water by his LIV Golf deal, with the Spaniard reportedly pocketing £450 million to make the Saudi switch. Rahm is to become the latest big name to join LIV, following in the footsteps of the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.
Despite following in the footsteps of some of golf’s greats, it is Rahm who has landed the breakaway league’s record signing bonus. It is hard to begrudge the Spaniard the title of LIV’s highest paid player, having announced himself as one of the world’s best in recent years.
The signing of Rahm is arguably LIV’s biggest coup yet, with the 29-year-old ranked third in the world and the defending Masters champion. Having become one of the best in the business, the green jacket winner has added a whole host of other titles alongside his Masters crown.
On the PGA Tour the European Ryder Cup star has 11 victories to his name, whilst also collecting 10 on the DP World Tour. As well as his Augusta victory, Rahm also holds another major crown having won the U.S. Open in 2021.
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With victories has of course come huge financial rewards, and during his professional career on the course Rahm has made upwards of £64 million ($80m) in prize money. A remarkable amount in its own right, but the figure has been trumped by his almost half-a-billion-pound LIV signing fee.
The Spaniard has remained relatively neutral in the saga between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but this does not mean his defection to the breakaway league has not come as a surprise. On numerous occasions, Rahm has played down the chance of ever joining LIV, even admitting the mega-money signing bonuses were not enough to lure him in.
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“Money is great, but when [wife] Kelley and I … this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we’re like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit,” Rahm said at last year’s U.S. Open.
“Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.”
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