It started 33 months ago with a letterman's jacket and a discomfited TV appearance. It’s coming to an end in a New Jersey bankruptcy court. Jon Rahm’s time with LIV Golf has been marked with an assortment of ups and downs, with the 31-year-old Spaniard turning into a polarizing figure after becoming the most high-profile golfer to join the upstart Saudi-backed league after its initial launch in 2022.
On Wednesday at a hearing on LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, Rahm’s attorney, John Beck, told a judge that the two-time major winner would not be staying with the league moving forward. “Mr. Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0,” Beck said, “and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0.” A separation agreement between Rahm and LIV is expected to be finalized in the next week.
When Rahm signed his multiyear contract in December 2023 for a reported $350 million, many believed LIV Golf had gained the upper hand in the civil war it was waging with the PGA Tour. Ultimately, though, LIV was unable to convince others to follow Rahm’s lead, his subsequent play in majors—only twice making a serious run in 11 starts—serving as a possible cautionary tale for others. And in April, when the Saudi Public Investment Fund announced it would no longer finance LIV after 2026,
the league’s future—and Rahm’s along with it—looked suddenly grim.
As our Joel Beall writes in the wake of today’s news, what’s next for both LIV and Rahm is unclear. But there is one takeaway that seems likely: Each side will look back at this era with disappointment.
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LIV Golf is arguing its player contracts should be private. Lawyers for the league have asked a judge overseeing its bankruptcy case for its deals with its members to remain sealed. Why they need to be shielded from the public is unclear—as player contracts in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL are public—although LIV states its due to sensitive information. The only other time LIV contracts came under legal scrutiny was during LIV’s antitrust lawsuit in 2022, as U.S. district judge Beth Freeman denied a TRO argument from three LIV players on the basis that LIV’s contracts were made in part to compensate players for lost PGA Tour wages. The hearing on the matter will be heard on Wednesday.
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A PGA Tour bubble boy has made an interesting scheduling decision. A.J. Ewart's WD from this week's Baycurrent Classic may not have drawn big headlines, but it's a curious choice. The PGA Tour rookie is currently No. 102 on the FedEx Fall list with the top 100 earning full PGA Tour status for 2027. Obviously, it's difficult to play in every event—especially one that's in Japan like this week's tournament—but the Baycurrent Classic is a guaranteed payday, both in money and FedEx points, due to there being no cut. According to Sportsnet's Adam Stanley, Ewart plans to play the final five fall events starting next week. Still, it left some questioning the decision.
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The subject of my newest Mind Games video is about slowing down, and I can already feel your discomfort about what that means. It’s true, many performance experts believe golfers slowing down their pace is an effective way to execute the shot they want to hit and manage their nervous systems. But that’s different than playing slow. The episode is about picking your spots so you can recognize where you need to take your time, and where you need to move quicker.
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