Jon Rahm Describes Shock, Uncertainty With PGA Tour-LIV Golf Alliance
LOS ANGELES – Jon Rahm was home with his kids in Arizona last week when the news broke about the PGA Tour alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Like just about everyone else in the game, he had no idea what was happening.
“Basically texts just started flowing in,’’ Rahm said Tuesday at Los Angeles Country Club. “I thought my phone was going to catch on fire at one point. There were so many questions that I just couldn't answer. It's basically what it was.
“I think it was that day at one point I told (wife) Kelley I'm just going to throw my phone in the drawer and not look at it for the next four hours because I can't deal with this anymore.’’
Rahm, the No. 2-ranked player in both the Official World Ranking and SI World Golf Rankings, who won the Masters in April and the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines two years ago, is in a unique position as a player who has stood by the PGA Tour but also has numerous players as friends on the LIV Golf side of what has been a year-plus divide in golf.
A winner of four tournaments this year, Rahm played a practice round with countryman Sergio Garcia in advance of the U.S. Open on Tuesday and counts another LIV golfer, Phil Mickelson, as a friend.
He has stated on several occasions that he believes the fracture in the game should not impact the Ryder Cup competition between the United States and Europe, that the best from both should be allowed to compete, regardless of Tour allegiance. Basically all of the LIV players on the European side are deemed ineligible because they either are no longer members of the DP World Tour or won’t be able to earn enough points to qualify because they are not allowed to play.
But like others, he has no idea what the new agreement means. Last week, the Tour announced an alliance with the PIF and with the DP World Tour that will see a separate for-profit LLC formed. The fate of LIV golf is unresolved.
“Well, there's a lot of not-answered questions,’’ Rahm said during a news conference. “It's tough when it's the week before a major. Trying not to think about it as much as possible.
“I think it gets to a point where you want to have faith in management, and I want to have faith that this is the best thing for all of us, but it's clear that that's not the consensus.’’
The “framework’’ of the deal that was announced on June 6 was negotiated in secret by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Policy Board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Hirlihy and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF.
“I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management,’’ Rahm said. “I understand why they had to keep it so secret. I understand we couldn't make it through a PAC (Player Advisory Council) meeting with more than 10 minutes after people spilling the beans right away in some article by you guys already being out there. So I get it. I get the secrecy.
“It's just not easy as a player that's been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and see this bombshell. That's why we're all in a bit of a state of limbo because we don't know what's going on and how much is finalized and how much they can talk about, either.
“It's a state of uncertainty that we don't love, but at the end of the day, I'm not a business expert. Some of those guys on the board and involved in this are. So I'd like to think they're going to make a better decision than I would, but I don't know. We'll see. There's still too many questions to be answered.’’
Rahm said the way he deals with the situation is to keep everything in perspective.
“No matter what happens, whether I agree with it or not, thanks to the PGA Tour, they give me a platform to play golf at the highest level, and after taking advantage of that possibility, I'm in a situation where my family and my kids don't have to struggle financially ever, and I don't know how many generations I can help if I do it properly.
“I'm in a very high state of privilege in this world. I can do what I want. I can do what I love for a living. I have a blast every single day even though I get mad on the golf course every once in a while.
“When I start with that point of view, no matter what happens, I can only be thankful to what's going on. If things change, things change. I'm just -- I'll have to adapt to the situation and will have to make some decisions on what's going on forward, and I'll make some decisions.’’