Jon Rahm to Leave LIV Golf After Rejecting Reboot Terms
Jon Rahm will leave LIV Golf after calling the terms of its rebooted tour "unacceptable".
His lawyer, John Beck, told a US bankruptcy court hearing that Rahm had reviewed the LIV 2.0 proposal independently and rejected it. The two sides are in advanced talks over a consensual split, which they hope to finalise by a further hearing on 5 November, according to BBC.
LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September after Saudi Arabia withdrew its multibillion-dollar funding. Chapter 11 is an American court process that lets a struggling business keep operating while it reorganises its debts under supervision. The tour is trying to find a route to the 2027 season, including a possible $300m in financing from BC Partners Credit.
Players caught in the collapse have been given a way out. Court papers say LIV participants owed at least $45m (£33m) between them can choose to leave. A window to discuss terms with players stays open until 25 October.
Rahm joined LIV in December 2023 from the PGA Tour in a deal reported to be worth £222m ($300m). He became the tour's form player, winning three straight individual season titles by August 2026. He won in Mexico City in April as rumours swirled that the breakaway was close to collapse.
As recently as May, he said he had multiple years left on his contract and saw few ways out of it. By September, LIV had asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to reject its player contracts, according to Axios, and Rahm was listed among its creditors as owed $7.5m, according to ESPN.
Where he plays next is unclear. Earlier this year it was reported that Rahm faced at least a year away from the PGA Tour after turning down an agreement of the type accepted by Brooks Koepka in January. Rahm stayed tight-lipped on his future in September, saying only that he had become "pretty good at dealing with turbulence".
For fans, this means the strangest chapter in men's professional golf just took another turn. Rahm was LIV's marquee recruit and its most consistent winner. Losing him before any relaunch leaves a hole at the top of the leaderboard.
