As the league’s two-time defending individual champion, Jon Rahm has quickly become the face of LIV Golf.
That makes the Spaniard’s opinion on the uncertain state of LIV amidst a valuable one as the tour kicks off its 2026 season this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Brooks Koepka sent shockwaves when he left LIV last December and made his PGA Tour return over the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Patrick Reed, while not yet back with PGA officially, announced his LIV departure last week and is set to return to the more prominent tour later this year.
The PGA Tour announced a “returning member program,” the criteria of which made only four LIV players eligible for immediate reinstatement: Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Australian Cameron Smith and Rahm.
Instead, Rahm elected to stick with LIV for a third season as the captain of defending team champion Legion XIII. But Rahm admitted he doesn’t hold any ill will towards Reed for his decision.
“I think each one is going to do whatever he thinks is best for them. At this point, I just wish him nothing but the best of luck. Hopefully it all goes well,” Rahm said when asked about Reed’s decision on Monday. “We’re free to choose where we want to play golf. At least that’s how it should be. And he’s made his choice, obviously. Nothing really against him. He’s been playing fantastic golf, and if he wants to go back, he should have the chance to do so.”
This week’s event in Riyadh also marks the beginning of a new era for LIV, which will move from 54-hole events to the more traditional 72 holes this season.
The hope is that this change will allow for LIV events to begin counting for points in the Official Golf World Rankings, which they have not since the league’s 2022 launch.
A decision on that front is reportedly expected soon from OWGR’s board, potentially paving an easier path for LIV competitors to qualify for major championships.
Rahm, a two-time major champion, sees the change as a positive on all fronts.
“I’m happy about it. I would say I was one of the people that pushed for it. So obviously I’m happy about it,” Rahm said. “I think the more golf we play, the better for stronger teams and stronger players, and I think it will benefit us four individuals and as a team.”
Another potential LIV change this season is the league pushing for the DP World Tour to stop fining competitors for missing events due to LIV event conflicts.
That’s affecting Rahm more than many, as he said recently that he’s been fined approximately $3 million for missing DP events since joining LIV ahead of the 2024 season.
“I don’t know what it may be or what it’s going to look like, but I’m happy to see that looking for a path forward for LIV players to be able to play on both tours and not to get penalized,” Rahm said. “The fact that they’re looking at a positive way to figure it out, I think it’s only good for us, and I think it’s good for the DP World Tour as well.”
–Field Level Media
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