Jon Rahm has agreed to play for a rival LIV Golf team and will return to the Ryder Cup, which is a big setback for the Saudi league.
Jon Rahm has agreed to play for a rival tour to LIV Golf, just as rumors started spreading that the league might shut down. Last month, reports said that less than five years after LIV Golf was first announced, the Saudi-backed league could be in trouble.
Even though LIV Golf’s CEO Scott O’Neil tried to calm things down, it was later confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would stop funding LIV Golf after the 2026 season. This raised a lot of questions about what would happen to the league and the 57 players competing there.
Bryson DeChambeau, who many see as the face of LIV Golf, spoke out against rumors that he wanted to go back to the PGA Tour. He said he’s still committed to playing team golf.
Now, LIV Golf has taken a big hit because Rahm, probably the other biggest star in the league, made a deal to return to the DP World Tour this season. As part of this agreement, Rahm paid about $3 million in fines that he owed for joining LIV Golf in 2024.
Importantly, this deal means Rahm can play for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2027 at Adare Manor. A DP World Tour spokesperson explained that both parties agreed on “conditional releases” for Rahm to play in some LIV Golf events through 2026, after he paid his fines and agreed to compete in certain DP World Tour tournaments.
Rahm himself said both sides “made concessions” to reach the deal. He told reporters before LIV Golf’s Virginia event, “There’s no longer a standoff. We reached an agreement. I offered some concessions, and they extended an olive branch. That’s no longer a stress.”
He added that the process wasn’t as fast or easy as he hoped, but he wasn’t worried.
This move comes less than two months after Rahm turned down an offer to return to the European Tour, saying the tour was “extorting players” who wanted to come back from LIV Golf. However, reports say the new deal Rahm signed has the same terms as offers accepted by eight other players.
While Rahm will keep playing in LIV Golf events this season, he can now earn points in the Race to Dubai during upcoming tournaments like the PGA Championship. This opens the door for him to return fully to the PGA Tour or focus on the DP World Tour next year.