Jon Rahm admits ‘your feelings do change’ when faced with large amount of money after his $500million defection to LIV Golf – despite previously claiming no sum of money would change his lifestyle.

Jon Rahm has revealed the reasons behind his decision to reverse his stance on joining LIV Golf, acknowledging that financial considerations played a role in altering his perspective on departing from the PGA Tour to join the unorthodox league.

In December, Rahm, who is 29 years old, made the significant move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, becoming their most prominent signing to date.

The reported amount for his signing was $500 million. The decision contradicted the Spaniard’s earlier remarks about the breakaway, where he expressed loyalty to the PGA Tour and stated that his life could not be influenced by any amount of money.

In 2022, before the US Open, Rahm expressed that although money is beneficial, he and his wife Kelley contemplated the potential impact of acquiring $400 million on their lifestyle and concluded that it would not alter it whatsoever.

Following his LIV debut in Mexico last week, the reigning Masters champion opened up on the motivation behind his about-face.

‘I’d say there was two instances,’ said Rahm on the latest episode of GOLF’s ‘Breakthrough’.

‘I think dynamics started to change and there was a lot of division at that time. And yes, for me to want to change, there had to be reasons beyond the money, right? So when I said that [in June 2022] I fully meant it and it was true. Now, when they slap you with a large amount of money in your face, your feelings do change.

‘I try not to be a materialistic person, but I do owe it to my family as well to set them up for success the best I can, and having kids I think changed that quite a bit. So the money is a part of it; I’m not going to lie. But again, when I said that I wasn’t fully aware of what I was saying because you don’t really understand.’

However, it appears it wasn’t money alone that opened the door to Rahm’s defection as he admitted that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s truce, which was called through the June 6 framework agreement, also played a role

What opened the door a little bit was that PGA Tour and LIV agreement,’ Rahm added. ‘So when that happened, I was like, well, we are definitely coming together. There is something happening, so at least I owe it to myself to hear what they have to offer and what their vision is. I figured I owed it to myself to hear them out, which is what I did when the season was over.’

Rahm played his first event on the rebel circuit since his $500m signing in December, teeing it up at El Camaleon at Mayakoba, Mexico last week.

He agonizingly fell short of taking home the individual honors, bogeying his final two holes to miss out on a playoff with Sergio Garcia and eventual winner Joaquin Niemann.

However, he took some consolation in a team win for Legion XIII – LIV’s first expansion team which he captions.

Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, 19-year-old Caleb Surratt and qualifier Kieran Vincent ran away with the team win with a score of 24-under on their debut.

Yet, while he insisted he doesn’t regret his decision to switch sides, Rahm did lament missing out on some PGA Tour events while speaking to the media ahead of the second LIV event of the season in Las Vegas this week.

Rahm expressed his anticipation of participating in those events soon during his conversation with reporters at Las Vegas Country Club, where this week’s LIV Golf event is taking place. He expressed his strong desire to return and take part in some of those events.

“If there is ever an opportunity for us to return and participate, even if it is through an invitation, I will gladly accept it. There are specific occasions that hold great significance for me, and I would still be thrilled to offer my support to them.” “He expressed the difficulty of staying at home without participating in competitions and being aware of the ongoing events,” he further mentioned.

“The weeks of Palm Springs and Torrey were particularly challenging for me. I have repeatedly emphasized the significance of Torrey for my career.”