When the LIV Golf series arrived with a bang in the world of golf, its big names were convinced that they could convince the resistance, because everyone has a price. And for Jon Rahm, that price is $500 million.
The news broke a little over a week ago. After days of speculation, the man who donned the green jacket at the last Masters Tournament published a photo of him and Greg Norman wearing a smile and a jacket in the colors of the Saudi circuit.
“I’m proud to be part of something so special and one that will grow our sport,” he wrote in his post.
“A tournament with shotgun starts, with three rounds and no cuts, for me, is not a golf tournament. It’s that simple,” he said of the LIV series regulations. His face conveyed contempt, disgust and judgment.
Before continuing: “I want to play against the best players in the world in a format that has been proven for hundreds of years. »
And concludes: “Would it change anything in my life to earn an extra $400 million? No. The truth is that I could retire and live well on what I earned playing golf. »
Like the smooth talker Jean-Paul Belleau, Rahm was faithful until the temptation to look elsewhere became too tempting.
The saddest thing for PGA Tour fans is seeing a pillar turn around and cross over to the dark side.
Since the start of this war between the PGA and the LIV series, Rahm seemed to be one of the untouchables, the irreducible, the guardians of tradition…. As have become Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth.
Rahm is another player who wowed the crowds, not just for his quality of play and charisma, but for standing up to the wind as the shifting Saudi sand managed to capture some deserters.
Thus, 15 of the last 31 major tournaments have been won by players receiving a paycheck from Saudi Arabia. Only one player, however, has won one as a Series LIV player. It was Brooks Koepka, at the last PGA Championship.
And casually, if the estimated value of Rahm’s contract with Series LIV until 2029 turns out to be accurate, anyone would think twice before coughing up $500 million, no matter where it comes from.
At least the cream of the crop remains on the PGA Tour. Especially the pool of promising young players. Until proven otherwise, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick and Collin Morikawa still have their membership cards.
Even if rumors concerning some of them are setting the Internet ablaze.
Tony Finau, the most sought-after player on the PGA, it was said, wanted to set things straight at the end of the Grant Thornton Invitational. He published a message on Instagram to formalize his loyalty to the best circuit in the world. “
The day after Rahm’s transfer was made official, Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes wrote a long article on the X platform.
The 66th player in the world ranking rarely speaks on the platforms. Even in interviews, he is not the most talkative. This shows to what extent this news had the effect of a seismic shock in the unpredictable world of golf.
“Men’s professional golf is in a very sad position,” he wrote to begin his explanation.
In summary, he explains that he always dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour circuit and that he had difficulty believing it when he achieved it. Then, despite the current disputes, it is still a good place to “work”, he put in quotes.
He emphasizes the sadness of seeing the best players in the world divided between two camps and he appeals to the leadership of the circuit to try to find a solution.
However, the solution was already found last summer. On June 6, the two circuits announced that they had signed the armistice with the aim of reuniting and creating a single circuit.
But as with the third film In a Galaxy Near You, the sequel is long overdue. The golf world is still without news, without updates and without signs of progress in the matter.
Waiting this long certainly does not bode well. The new season will take off shortly and the golf world is still torn apart. If not, more.
