Rahm Walks Away From LIV 2.0, Citing Discomfort With New Direction

Exciting news for golf fans! Jon Rahm, the 31‑year‑old Spaniard who captured the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters, announced he will not continue with the revamped LIV Golf series.

“As much as I liked the project and the idea on, let’s say, LIV 1.0, I wasn’t thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0 and I just wasn’t willing to follow that path,” Rahm said, adding that the new direction “wasn’t anything special, anything that stood out.”

The breakaway circuit, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, saw that fund pull more than $5 billion (£3.8 bn) in April, prompting LIV to file for bankruptcy protection in the United States in September.

Despite securing a possible $300 million (£224 m) financing package to launch “LIV 2.0,” Rahm reached a separation agreement in October to exit the league.

Rahm originally left the PGA Tour for LIV in December 2023 under a reported £222 million ($300 million) contract. ESPN reported he was still owed about $100 million (£75 m) from that deal.

He explained his departure by citing “too many unknowns” and a shift away from the team‑golf concept he valued, noting the new format felt more like a regular tournament.

Other players, such as Brooks Koepka, have already returned to the PGA Tour after the tour rewrote its rules in December, allowing a return subject to a $5 million (£3.7 m) charitable donation.

LIV’s “returning member” programme closed on 2 February, leaving Rahm under a long‑term LIV contract until his recent settlement.

In May, Rahm struck a deal with the DP World Tour, preserving his European Tour membership and keeping him eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.

LIV golfers remain banned for a year by the PGA Tour, while the DP World Tour offers a pathway to PGA Tour membership for its leading ten players.

Stay tuned as the golf world watches how Rahm’s next chapter unfolds.