Last week’s announced merger between the PGA and European Tours, and Saudi-based LIV Golf Tour to form one, the huge conglomerate has sent shockwaves throughout the grand game and the entire sporting world. The billions and billions that it promises to generate going forward insures the strength of the industry for generations to come.
Jon Rahm via CBS Mornings YouTube
Financially, it’s a major victory and an easy way out of the ugly rivalry that had been brewing between the Pro Golfers Association and LIV over the past two years. With some of the outdoor game’s greatest players being forced to choose between loyalty and money, there have been some harsh words exchanged between contemporaries.
On top of that, the players who stayed loyal to the PGA have essentially watched while some of them turned their backs on the governing body to sign huge contracts elsewhere. Now, those same players are being allowed to merely apply for reinstatement following the 2023 season.
That doesn’t sit too well with some of the guys who stuck around. Like Jon Rahm, who offered his take on the whole situation ahead of this year’s US Open.
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“I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management,” Rahm told the media on Wednesday.
“I understand why they had to keep it so secret. It’s just not easy as a player that’s been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and see this bombshell. That’s why we’re all in a bit of a state of limbo because we don’t know what’s going on, how much is finalized, and how much they can talk about, either.”
Jon Rahm said when the news of the deal broke, he told his wife that he wanted to throw his phone in a drawer, because of his frustration about the situation. He cited the fact that he basically found out like everyone else did, out of the blue and while eating his breakfast. It rubbed the 28-year-old Spaniard the wrong way.
Jon Rahm’s win at The Genesis Invitational via PGA YouTube
“It’s a state of uncertainty that we don’t love, but at the end of the day, I’m not a business expert,” Rahm said. “Some of those guys on the board and involved in this area. So I’d like to think they’re going to make a better decision than I would, but I don’t know. We’ll see. There are still too many questions to be answered.”
Jon Rahm turned pro in 2016 after a successful career at Arizona State University. He entered play at the US Open as the number-two-ranked golfer in the world.