As LIV Golf sets off for an unknown future, there is a growing belief it will be without one of its signature stars.
The Telegraph’s James Corrigan reports the breakaway tour expects former World No. 1 Jon Rahm to depart LIV at season’s end.
Corrigan notes that a final decision from the Spaniard is expected in the coming weeks.
The news comes after a report from The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig on Wednesday that the DP World Tour is set to end its amnesty from fines for LIV players, as part of its conflicting events rule, for the 2027 season. Eight LIV players reached a deal with the DP in February that would allow them to compete on the tour by paying any outstanding fines. Rahm reached a deal separately from the other players.
After Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it would be pulling its funding from LIV, the tour’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, announced last week a new model for the league with a major investor set to be revealed next month and an opportunity for players to own equity in the tour.
As Herzig notes, what complicates matters for certain players is that the DP World Tour runs the Ryder Cup when it is in Euro and controls the European team. The 2027 tournament will be held at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland. Failing to reach an agreement with DP will undoubtedly affect players’ chances of participating in the tournament.
The 31-year-old Rahm’s future is an especially important matter for LIV and presents a bit of a catch-22. Should Rahm, or its other biggest names in Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, leave the tour, it would help to curb excessive spending by LIV as it attempts to assert its new business model. On the flip side, a lack of top names would make the tour considerably less attractive to investors and to the general public.
The 2026 LIV tour currently has two events left on its official schedule, but its season-ending Team Championship at The Cardinal at St. John’s in Michigan set for Aug. 27 has reportedly been cancelled. Reports of its cancellation emerged weeks ago with the course and its surrounding area not having not been primed for a major event. Further reports surfaced earlier in the week that the players themselves had been informed of the cancellation. Tickets to the event remained on sale on the LIV website as late as Wednesday, but appear to be unavailable as of Thursday morning.
A native of Barrika, Rahm is a four-time winner on the LIV tour. Previously a player on the PGA Tour where he won 11 events since turning pro in 2016, the Arizona State product is a two-time major winner. Rahm claimed the U.S. Open in 2021 and won the Masters in 2023.
