DON’T BE MAD AT RAHM FOR LEAVING, HE’S JUST A PRODUCT OF THE PGA AND THEIR TREASONOUS IDENTITY

Mario Russo

The words rolled off the tongue of Jon Rahm with ease as he sat to the left of David Feherty in his first official interview with LIV Golf on Saturday. 

Propped up in a directors chair mostly hidden from the thick leather sleeves of his black ‘LIV Golf’ letterman jacket, the newest member to his already well-decorated closet collection, the reasons behind the Spaniard’s switch to LIV slowly began to fill the air that separated the two PGA Tour alumni. 

Quietly and with a calming presence, Rahm listed off the factors that essentially pushed him over the line that he spent the majority of the year guarding as a loyal member of the PGA Tour, citing his ability to grow the game globally as the leading motivator to not just acknowledging the lucrative $500 + million dollar deal that patiently waited for him at LIV Golf, but ultimately grabbing what was his for the taking ever since LIV emerged as a serious rival back in 2021. 

As Rahm dove deeper into what made him set fire to the bridge between his current and former circuit of golf, his final decision that was officially announced last Thursday slowly began to absorb clarity. 

He made the move for himself, his family, as well as for the future of the sport that he has constantly fought to protect and prioritize. Even as the questionable nature surrounding his choice continued to cause chaos throughout the sport around him, Rahm solemnly stood atop his beliefs without any sort of doubtful intrusion. 

In an instant, his stance on legacy completely lost the traditional bearings that constantly put winning on the PGA Tour first. His desire to grow the game - especially in his home country of Spain - elevated as the opportunity to play annually in his homeland was made possible as a result of LIV Golf’s worldwide schedule. 

Rahm even mentioned the impact Seve Ballesteros had on the growth of the game in Spain as a place of prominence in his decision and something he looks forward to fulfilling as a member of the LIV Tour. The 29-year old voiced the very same remarks of Seve following his Masters win this past April as well, even while being a powerful advocate of the PGA Tour and its direction. 

With Rahm’s move to LIV Golf being very much official, the PGA Tour is left to watch another one of it’s star players flock to their rivaled circuit and likely succeed in the Major tournaments to come. Does the name Brooks Koepka come to mind?

For the foreseeable future and possibly for the remainder of his career depending on if / when a decision is made on the PGA Tour’s merger with the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF), Jon Rahm will be perceived in similar views to those who chose to leave the PGA Tour from the very start.

Easily manipulated by Saudi-money wrote the headlines for these players the same way it is actively doing for Rahm less than a week removed from his transition between leagues. It’s criticism likely won’t slow down or ever stop. 

Where Rahm has it different from many of his now former PGA Tour members, rests in the extra layer of criticism that he will be forced to face. 

Where the rest of the LIV field didn’t think twice about jumping ship, Rahm did, and voiced his loyalty at every turn. Aside from the extreme fidelity expressed by Rory McIlroy throughout the fallout between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, Rahm poured his unwavering support into the latter at every turn. 

For many, he was a leading voice of support, a beacon of hope that casted light towards the future direction of the sport and the PGA Tour leading the way. Even while Jay Monahan went behind the backs of his players, one of which being Rahm, during his decision to merge with the PIF this past summer, the Spaniard’s trust in the league never seemed to be bothered as the walls around his home began to crumble. 

It may be left unknown as to what moment changed Rahm’s placement of loyalty during the PGA Tour season, if there even was any specific decision or move to begin with. What appears to be the biggest known facet of Rahm’s departure however, is the identity he carries on the surface that strikes a similar chord to that of his former Tour.

A treasonous product that has been left to boil in manipulation and marinate in hypocrisy over the last 12 months. Its backstabbing nature should not have to bloody the hands of those who chose to protect it, and even more so the ones that made the decision to leave it all behind. 

It should also come as no surprise that the players who have been entangled in it from the very start, now share that same virulent stench. It's a shame Rahm must now have to reek of its venomous nature during his shift to LIV Golf.

Whether an agreement is struck with PIF by the end of the month or not, it must be understood that the PGA Tour killed its identity by itself, most notably during its poorly-chosen time of secrecy as it worked to dictate the future of its game and their employees earlier this year. 

Even while Rahm spoke with Feherty in his debut interview with LIV this past Saturday, growing the game of golf and bettering the future of the sport appeared to be the two biggest goals of his career and boxes he’d like to check off as soon as possible. 

It quickly started to feel as though these tasks remained unattainable with the PGA Tour during his interview. The fact that this is the case should frighten the likes of Jay Monahan as he loses another one of his star players and promising advocates for nothing in return. 

More of the Tour’s swingers may follow as the clock begins to tick down on the PIF deal later this month. If money continues to outleverage the identity of the players as it did in the past, or now fails to change that treacherous perception as a result of the freefalling character of the PGA Tour, the future of Rahm’s former home may be in great peril.

For what appears to be the first time since this feud began, the tide has greatly shifted in LIV’s favour, sweeping up another top player from the other side and leaving the PGA Tour to continue to roast and fester its manipulative product. 

In the immediate future, Rahm will be labeled to many as a traitor, a backstabber and just another purchased soul in the game of golf. He will be forced to wear this identity upon his sleeve every single time the two leagues cross paths in Major tournaments, as well as throughout his weekly grind alongside Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and other former PGA’ers that have, and still continue to face the backlash behind their switch. 

Yet unlike his peers, Rahm was betrayed by the PGA Tour first, and faces the same consequences as those who turned their backs on the league from the very beginning. 

In what might be the final domino to fall in the LIV-PGA saga of 2023, it has become clear that showing loyalty bears little reward and even fewer pockets of respect on the PGA Tour. Many might stop, and even more may leave.

In his move to LIV Golf, Rahm turned the industry on its head and showed that allegiance has both a cost and a price to be paid. 

Even while being cloaked by his ‘LIV Golf’ letterman jacket, Rahm still remains a carbon copy product of the treasonous league he left behind. It’s a shame he must share a spot with it as he embarks on this new chapter of his career.