Jon Rahm wants to “grow the game of golf” while on LIV Golf League.
Jon Rahm has revealed he intends to “grow the game of golf and make it better” having joined the LIV Golf League.
In addition, he has messaged Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods.
Late in the day on December 7, Rahm, 29, revealed the golf industry’s worst-kept secret in an interview with Fox News.
Rahm is reportedly the highest earner on LIV Golf in 2024 after accepting a fee of £450 million.
Rahm will take on the role of captain for his own LIV Golf team; the team’s name and the identities of Rahm’s three teammates will be disclosed shortly.
After officially signing, Rahm spoke with Fox News and admitted that money played a role in his choices.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great deal.”
But he also used the golden ticket of ‘my goal with this is to grow the game of golf’.
When pressed on his thoughts about a 54-hole format and shotgun start – two things Rahm has been criticial of with LIV Golf in the past – he told Fox News:
“I know captains have a say and I know they listen to the players as part of the organization so I’m looking forward to having some conversations and giving them my opinion and maybe seeing some changes for the best in the future.
“But my goal with this is to grow the game of golf, to make it better, whatever that may be. I’m an ambitious person but I’m not a greedy one, I know I can’t have everything, so there are some things I’ll have to sacrifice and for right now that is one I can live with.”
Jon Rahm sends message to Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods
Rahm also had a message for Woods and McIlroy, the two biggest stars on the PGA Tour.
Naturally, the Spaniard recently pulled out of their new TGL, which has since been rescheduled for 2025 due to the stadium roof collapsing a few weeks before it was originally scheduled to begin.
Just a few weeks before the PGA Tour was set to suspend operations in order to consider a possible merger with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), Rahm expressed optimism that the circuit could still achieve its objectives given the dynamic nature of the sport.
He made reference to Cantlay, Woods, and McIlroy’s outstanding work there.
Although McIlroy resigned from the PGA Tour policy board last month, Cantlay and Woods continue to be the circuit’s top player directors.
Rahm said:
“I sincerely hope the PGA Tour can achieve the current and future goals, that is my message to them. For the work that many of them have done, I am incredibly grateful. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Patrick Cantlay, in my opinion, stood out. I want to thank them and sincerely hope that their resolve is what they want because they have spent a lot of time learning what the future of the game may look like through meetings and phone calls. This was a decision that was better for my family and me and our future; it had nothing to do with anything personal. As I won’t be changing, I sincerely hope that all of my friends will stick by me.”
McIlroy and Woods have since responded to Rahm’s LIV Golf decision.
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