‘Those terms are unacceptable’: Jon Rahm officially leaving LIV Golf

About three years ago, golf superstar Jon Rahm announced his decision to leave the PGA Tour and join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit. Now, after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pulled out of the golf venture, it sounds like Rahm is out, too.

As LIV Golf tries to chart a path forward following a bankruptcy announcement, it sounds like they’ll be forced to do it without one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Rahm joined LIV Golf in December of 2023, marking one of the most high-profile defections from the PGA Tour. A little less than three years later, LIV Golf is restructuring after a bankruptcy filing, and Rahm is out.

During a hearing with U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael B. Kaplan on Wednesday, Rahm’s attorney, John Beck, confirmed that Rahm would be leaving LIV Golf after determining the league’s path forward “unacceptable.”

While it’s clear that Rahm will not be a part of the next iteration of LIV Golf, it’s not clear what’s next for the international golf superstar.

The obvious answer would seem to be a return to the PGA Tour. However, as ESPN notes, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said last month that the tour currently had no plans to bring back the Returning Member Program, which would allow former LIV Golf stars like Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith to come back under certain conditions.

While Rahm is not a member of the PGA Tour, he is a member of the DP World Tour in Europe after resolving his dispute back in May.

ESPN reports that Rahm could be owed as much as $100 million from LIV Golf as the organization goes through its bankruptcy restructuring.