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Rahm Willing to Accept Penalties to Return to PGA Tour
Confirmed
In Short: Two-time major champion Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he is willing to accept the same penalties that Brooks Koepka had to return to the PGA Tour, but he isn't sure he'll be offered the same deal after leaving the LIV Golf League.
In January, Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under a new Returning Member Program, which allowed LIV golfers who have been away from the tour for at least two years and who won the Players Championship or one of the four majors since 2022 to return under certain conditions and with severe financial penalties.
Koepka, at the PGA Tour's request, also agreed to make a $5 million donation to charity and forfeit any player equity shares for the next five years, making him ineligible for the $100 million FedEx Cup bonus program in 2026.
Rahm, who is teeing it up in this week's Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, said he is prepared to compete on the DP World Tour in 2027 if he isn't allowed to play on the PGA Tour until after serving a one-year suspension.
Rahm, who became LIV Golf's biggest signing at the end of 2023, has now opted against continuing under the league's proposed 2.0 model following its new investment agreement with BC Partners.
Rahm said he rejected the 2.0 version because he wasn't thrilled with the changes and that there wasn't anything special about a circuit that he believed was more closely aligned with established tours as opposed to the team-centric format.
When announcing Koepka's return, PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp called the program a 'one-time, defined window' and 'not a precedent for future situations.'
Rahm said he has yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there's any path back for next year and that he currently has no clarity over whether a pathway back will be made available.
Rahm, who lives in Arizona, is planning a schedule of tournaments that are between seven and 11 time zones away from home and is giving up millions that was owed him from signing with the Saudi-funded rival league at the end of a 2023 season filled with celebration and controversy.
What this adds
Rahm's lawyer made the announcement during LIV Golf's bankruptcy hearing on Wednesday, stating Rahm 'has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0... and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward.'
With the changes to the PGA Tour's structure coming in 2028, it's unclear how that will affect potential negotiations, but as the 2023 Masters champion, Rahm should have an exemption to the Championship Series.
What's confirmed
- "It was a wonderful experience. Played a lot of good golf. Obviously, individually and as a team, we did great. As much as I liked the project and the idea on, let's say, LIV 1.0, I wasn't thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0, and I just wasn't willing to follow that path. It wasn't anything special, anything that stood out. I just didn't like what they were going with 2.0."
- "I don't know what is in store for us. We know what they did with Brooks. This is different circumstances. I don't know what things are going to look like. But it's a pretty good safety net to have that I can play the DP World Tour next year, and if it comes to that, I'm really excited to play for a full year."
- Rahm said he has “yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there’s any path back for next year.” Rahm was eligible for the returning member program in January alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith, but declined the opportunity ; it’s likely that he would have faced severe financial penalties for breaking his LIV contract at the time.
What's still developing
- Two-time major champion Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he is willing to accept the same penalties that Brooks Koepka had to return to the PGA Tour, but he isn't sure he'll be offered the same deal after leaving the LIV Golf League.
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- Rahm, like the majority of his counterparts who have left LIV Golf, plans to play on the DP World Tour in 2027 and in all four major championships.
- With Jon Rahm’s exit from LIV Golf now official, the star player says he is willing to make some sacrifices to rejoin the PGA Tour, if necessary.
- Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he’d be willing to accept the same penalties and conditions for a return to the PGA Tour that he was once offered – even if he does not expect the same deal will be extended.
- “I just, yeah, I didn't like what they were doing with 2.0.” Rahm went into further detail, suggesting LIV Golf was losing some of the identity that originally attracted him to the circuit, particularly its emphasis on team competition.
- Rahm's lawyer made the announcement during LIV Golf's bankruptcy hearing on Wednesday, stating Rahm "has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0... and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward," according to Front Office Sports.
- Immediately following the bankruptcy filing, in which Rahm is listed as the top unsecured creditor with more than $7 million owed to him for the third quarter of 2026 alone, Rahm stated that he was "more than willing to fulfill" his contract with LIV 1.0.
- With the changes to the PGA Tour's structure coming in 2028, it's unclear how that will affect potential negotiations, but as the 2023 Masters champion, he should have an exemption to the Championship Series.
- With the bankruptcy filing, Rahm and other LIV players were reportedly able to leave the tour of their own accord, with no requirements to sign on for LIV Golf 2.0.