World No. 2 Jon Rahm has arrived in Boston to defend his U.S. Open title, though most of the discussion surrounding this week’s tournament has been about LIV Golf and how the new league will impact players on the PGA Tour. We’ve already seen a mass exodus with Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na and Louis Oosthuizen taking big paydays to join LIV. While Brooks Koepka was noncommittal when asked about his PGA future Tuesday (his younger brother, Chase, made his LIV debut last week), Rahm says he’s not going anywhere, insisting no amount of money would change his mind.
“Would my lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No. It would not change one bit. Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again,” said Rahm, who won his first career major at Torrey Pines last summer. “I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy and right now, the PGA Tour has that.”
Since going pro in 2016, Rahm has made over $33 million in career earnings with millions more in endorsements from Rolex, Mercedes-Benz and Callaway. While Rahm said he doesn’t judge others for playing overseas, the 27-year-old from Spain doesn’t care for LIV’s format with three-day tournaments and no cuts. “The format is not really appealing to me. Shotgun, three days, to me, is not a golf tournament,” said Rahm. “My heart is with the PGA Tour. It’s not my business or character to judge anybody who thinks otherwise. For a lot of people, those next 3-4 years are worth basically their retirement [money]. It’s a very nice compensation to then retire and sail off into the sunset.”
Mickelson, who has been a mentor to Rahm throughout his career (both attended Arizona State), disappeared from the public eye for months following his controversial remarks about Saudi Arabia and their shameful history of human rights abuses. Rahm didn’t get into any of that, insisting his decision had everything to do with building a lasting legacy, following in the footsteps of other PGA greats like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead.
“There’s a meaning when you win The Memorial. There’s a meaning when you win Arnold Palmer’s event at Bay Hill. There’s a meaning when you win L.A., Torrey [Pines], some of these historic venues. That, to me, matters a lot,” said Rahm.
In addressing LIV, with its ties to Saudi Arabia and all the corruption that comes with it, Rahm was much more diplomatic than Rory McIlroy, who dismissed Charl Schwartzel’s win at last week’s inaugural tournament in London as meaningless. “Last week in Canada … LIV will never have that,” McIlroy expressed to Telegraph golf correspondent James Corrigan. “Last week meant something. What they were doing over there meant nothing.”
McIlroy took a jab at Greg Norman after his win at the Canadian Open in Toronto last weekend, noting it was his 21st victory, one more than Norman had during his PGA career. Norman, of course, has been the face of LIV, serving as its CEO since the tour was announced last year.
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