Jon Rahm drops surprising take on PGA Tour loyalists being rewarded amid LIV Golf schism
Ahead of The Open Championship, Rahm laid out his personal feelings toward players’ compensation for PGA Tour loyalty.
When Jon Rahm speaks, his words carry a lot of weight.
Ahead of The Open Championship, the Spaniard talked about PGA Tour loyalists, among other notable topics relating to the tour’s pending agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).
“I understand the PGA Tour wants to do something for those players who helped and stayed on the PGA Tour, but at the same time—and I’ll be the first one to say—I wasn’t forced into anything. It was my choice to stay,” Rahm said Tuesday.
“Do I think [PGA Tour players] absolutely should be [paid], and there must be compensation? No. I just stayed because I think it’s the best choice for myself and for the golf I want to play.”
According to reports, Rahm turned down $400 million from LIV Golf to instead play on the PGA Tour.
A year ago, ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open, Rahm said that he “never really played golf for monetary reasons” and instead wanted to focus on the legacy of the game, which the PGA Tour has.
Yet, Rahm joked Tuesday that he would not turn the money down if the PGA Tour compensated players.
“As I’ve said before, I already make an amazing living doing what I do,” Rahm added. “I’m extremely thankful, and that all happened because of the platform the PGA Tour provided me. They’ve done enough for me, and their focus should be improving the PGA Tour and the game of golf for future generations.”
The PGA Tour has until Jan. 1, 2024 to strike a deal with the PIF for the future of professional golf.
On May 30, the PGA and DP World Tours signed a framework agreement with the PIF, which was made public on Jun. 6. That deal essentially means the two bodies have an agreement to work towards a final agreement.
Tons of work still needs to be done to create a structure, and the clock is ticking.
But Rahm has made it known that he wants his voice to be heard, and the PGA Tour listened.
“They’ve reached out, they’ve called me, and I’ve given them my opinion,” Rahm said. “They’ve been fairly open on that. They’ve hired some people on tour to come to tournaments, and they’re kind of in between us and some of the higher management.”
Yet, Rahm is not an individual who wants to call all of the shots.
He wants the tour to engage more with its players with these important decisions as negotiations advance.
“I think they should talk to the membership and get an idea of where the players are at,” Rahm added. “But it’s not about just myself. Obviously, it should be a general feeling of what the partnership wants to do.”
“I’m not going to be calling every single day telling them what I think and what should be done. Let’s just say that.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.