Jon Rahm revealed he reached out to Tiger Woods after deciding to join LIV Golf last December, but after sending a text message he received no response from the PGA Tour legend
Jon Rahm will be pleased to know Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour are in discussions over a route back for LIV Golf stars, after the Spaniard was blanked over text message by the golfing great.
In December of last year, Rahm made a significant move by signing with LIV from the PGA Tour for a reported £450 million deal, setting a new record.
He discussed his decision to switch teams before the event in Jeddah this week, mentioning that he consulted with Rory McIlroy and Woods before finalizing the deal.
His teammate in the Ryder Cup, McIlroy, unexpectedly expressed approval of the decision in public, despite being one of LIV’s harshest critics before. However, the same cannot be said for Woods, a 15-time major champion.
Well I mean, Rory has been supportive publicly of my decision and he was privately as well,” Rahm told ESPN. “Tiger? No, not really [had a response]. I texted him and the people that tried to reach out throughout the process when I signed and I just let him know, ‘Hey, this is a personal decision, I have nothing against anybody’.”
The opinion of Woods for any golfer is an important one, with the 82-time PGA Tour winner the biggest name in the sport. And whilst Rahm may well have been concerned by the American star’s lack of reply, he will have been happy to know that he and the PGA Tour’s leadership are working on a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) that will allow members of the breakaway league to return to their former tour.
“We are exploring various options for returning to play,” Woods stated during the Genesis Invitational this month.
“We are evaluating the outcomes for players who have continued to compete and those who have chosen to withdraw, in order to enhance our product in the future. At the moment, there is no definitive answer to these questions.”
We are considering a range of ideas and uncertainties about the future outcomes in the short term. We are unsure of how things will evolve in the long run.
There are ongoing discussions and emails regarding the implications for our tour moving forward.
After moving in late 2023, Rahm, the Masters champion, expressed his desire to participate in all three tours – LIV Golf, PGA Tour, and DP World Tour – despite the existing disagreements between the tours. Rahm stated, “I want to continue competing in the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, I am not willing to give that up.” This statement was made shortly before he was barred from the American tour.
I hope that with the flexibility provided by LIV, I will be able to participate in both tours.
There are specific events in the PGA Tour that I am interested in playing, as long as my schedule permits. I would like to try to make that a reality if possible.
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