Sources – Masters champ Jon Rahm leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf

In a deal that could dramatically impact the future landscape of men's professional golf and inject even more uncertainty into an already fractured sport, Masters champion Jon Rahm has agreed to leave the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf financed by Saudi Arabia. League, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

LIV Golf is expected to announce Rahm's arrival on Thursday, barring a last-minute change of mind from the former world No. 1 player, the sources said.

The deal is expected to last more than three years, is worth more than $300 million and will include Rahm's stake in a new LIV Golf team, according to sources. LIV Golf is signing additional PGA Tour players to fill out Rahm's team roster.

Rahm's decision comes at a time when the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund are trying to iron out the final details of a framework agreement that would consolidate their business interests into a new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan are expected to meet next week. The PIF has spent more than $3 billion to fund the LIV Golf League over the past two seasons. The framework agreement is set to expire on December 31; Monahan called the date a “hard deadline” last week.

The framework agreement gives Monahan the power to determine the future of LIV Golf, which has struggled to gain a foothold in the United States but has attracted significant interest in Australia, Singapore, Spain and other countries. other countries. Sources told ESPN that the future of LIV Golf and whether team golf has a place in the sport's future ecosystem emerged as sticking points for the Saudis during negotiations.

It is unclear what impact Rahm's defection will have on the proposed alliance. LIV Golf's ability to poach a player of Rahm's caliber appears to give the Saudis leverage in negotiations, as the PGA Tour also receives offers from a handful of U.S.-based investors.

The June 6 framework agreement included a clause prohibiting both sides from attempting to poach each other's players, but it was removed after the antitrust division of the U.S. Justice Department expressed concerns that it restricted competition.

A conglomerate led by Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins, is among the latest potential bidders, sources told ESPN. The same goes for Liberty Media Corporation, which has stakes in Formula 1, Sirius XM and the Atlanta Braves, as well as Acorn Growth Companies, an Oklahoma City-based capital group that had previously focused on the aerospace and defense industries.

Sources previously told ESPN that the PGA Tour could form a partnership with the PIF and a U.S.-based investment firm, amid concerns that a PIF-only deal would not be approved by federal regulators in the U.S. and abroad. the foreigner.

Rahm is the second reigning major championship winner to leave the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf League at the peak of his career. In August 2022, Australian Cameron Smith signed with LIV Golf approximately six weeks after winning his first major championship at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews Links in Scotland.

Rahm, 29, has won 11 times on the PGA Tour and has collected more than $51.5 million in winnings on the course during his career. Last season, he won four times and pocketed approximately $16.5 million in purses. He is a finalist for PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Rahm joins LIV Golf's list of captains that also includes former major championship winners Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson.

Rahm's decision comes less than eight months after he became the fourth Spanish golfer to win a green jacket at the Masters, beating Mickelson and Koepka by 4 strokes at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9. This victory could have motivated Rahm to join LIV Golf. easier, as he earned a lifetime exemption for the Masters and five-year exemptions for the PGA Championship and Open.

Rahm already has a spot in the US Open through 2031 after winning his first major at the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.

The governing bodies that organize the major championships – Augusta National Golf Club (Masters), PGA of America (PGA Championship), R&A (The Open) and United States Golf Association (US Open) – have remained largely on the sidelines during the battle ongoing between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf and has not banned players from both tours from participating in their tournaments.

PIF officials have been recruiting Rahm for months, according to sources. He did not criticize the LIV Golf League as many PGA Tour players have, in part because of his friendship with Mickelson and former Ryder Cup teammates such as Sergio Garcia. Mickelson's younger brother, Tim, was Rahm's coach at Arizona State and his first agent. Mickelson and Rahm are represented by the same agent, Steve Loy of SportFive.

Still, Rahm's decision constitutes a stunning about-face for a 22-time world winner who is considered one of the game's fiercest competitors. Ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open at the Country Club of Brookline, Massachusetts, Rahm has been asked about his interest in joining the upstart circuit.

“Yeah, money is good, but when [my wife] Kelly and I, the first thing that happened, we started talking about it and we were like, “Would our lifestyle change if we got $400 million?” No,” Rahm said. “It wouldn't change at all. Truth be told, I could retire now and live a very happy life without playing golf anymore. I never really played golf for financial reasons. I play for the love of the game and I want to play against the best in the world. »

Rahm spoke about his desire to compete in tournaments steeped in history and tradition, including majors and PGA Tour invitationals.

“I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that,” Rahm said. “There's meaning when you win the Memorial Championship. There's meaning when you win the Arnold Palmer event at Bay Hill. There's meaning when you win Los Angeles, Torrey, some of these historic sites . For me it means a lot. After winning this After the US Open, just me and Tiger [Woods] won at Torrey Pines. Making putts on 18 is a memory that I will keep forever and that few people can tell.”

Before the Ryder Cup in Italy earlier this year, after Rahm expressed support for Garcia and other LIV Golf players being allowed to compete for the European team, he was again asked about his interest in LIV Golf by a podcast in Spanish.

“Phil Mickelson respects my decision and I respect his decision,” Rahm said. “He told me there was no reason for me to go to LIV. And he told me that several times. I laugh when people talk about LIV. I never liked the format.”

But now, the LIV Golf League, with its 54-hole format, its team and individual competitions and its shotgun starts, has a new face of its league. As a two-time major championship winner and one of the best players in the world, Rahm brings instant credibility.

“I don't know exactly what impact that would have on these negotiations, but overall, Jon Rahm is one of the greatest assets we have on the PGA Tour,” said Jordan Spieth, PGA Tour director of players. , during last week's Hero World Challenge. “So it really wouldn't be very good for us in general, because we want to play against the best players in the world, and that's what Jon is.”