Jon Rahm has been called out following his most recent claims regarding the benefits of LIV Golf’s global reach.
Jon Rahm has faced backlash on the internet for allegedly manipulating the golf community with his latest comments regarding the LIV Golf League.
Rahm, at the age of 29, became a part of the financially rewarding league supported by Saudi Arabia in December 2023 and has already shown his talent on the Tour.
In all four events of the 2024 season, the Spanish athlete has achieved top 10 finishes, placing him second in the overall individual standings for the season.
Having previously claimed that a move to LIV wouldn’t interest him and $400 million wouldn’t change his life, Rahm shook the golf world to its core when he appeared live on TV in a LIV Golf bomber jacket to confirm his decision to join the breakaway circuit for a reported $600 million.
Since joining, Rahm has played tournaments with his team, Legion XIII, in three countries outside of the United States, including Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong.
In addition to the obvious uptick in air miles, Rahm also recently revealed that bringing events to audiences that are hungry for golf is one of LIV’s biggest objectives.
Speaking to the Howie Games Podcast recently, Rahm said:
“I think it’s one of the big objectives of LIV Golf, playing golf in places that we haven’t played before. It’s very simple. There’s a lot of golf communities that deserve a bigger level of golf that they never got to see.
“I mean, you have 3 of the 4 majors in the US. And before you had WGC’s, some of them were outside, but for the most part you’re playing in some countries in Europe and the US, you never really get out of that.
“So to be able to enjoy Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Adelaide and Singapore, it’s amazing. You expose golf to a crowd that maybe hasn’t seen it before or a crowd that is hungry for golf.”
Rahm’s comments, although likely well-intentioned, have garnered attention online, leading to raised eyebrows among DP World Tour fans who perceive the statement as controversial.
The DP World Tour schedule shows that the European circuit travels to various countries around the world, such as Australia, South Africa, India, Japan, Mauritius, among others.
It is important to mention that out of the remaining eight regular season events for LIV, six will take place in the United States, Spain, or England. These countries have not lacked live golf events in recent years.
Although Rahm’s intentions to expand the popularity of the game may seem admirable initially, his statement has quickly come under scrutiny online, with one person describing it as offensive.
Scroll down to see how golf fans reacted on X.