Golf ace Jon Rahm is reportedly itching for a sensational return to the PGA Tour.
Whispers are suggesting he’s willing to ditch his LIV Golf payday to tee off with stars like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler once more. A seasoned tour mole spilled the beans to Golf Digest, claiming Rahm has regrets about joining the controversial Saudi-funded circuit and could quit.
“I am 100% positive that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and come back to the tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough,” the anonymous source claimed.
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Not long ago, Rahm was the golden boy of the PGA Tour, pocketing over $70million (£54m) in career earnings from the PGA and DP World Tours, not to mention reigning as World No. 1 for a whopping 50 weeks. His trophy cabinet boasts major wins at the Masters and US Open among his 11 PGA victories.
Yet, since his bombshell move to LIV Golf in 2023, the Spanish sensation’s sparkle has dimmed, with fan buzz and on-course magic taking a hit. “Now there are only four times a year when he’s playing that anybody is remotely interested,” the insider lamented.
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“He thought his stature in the game was secure no matter where he was playing, and it was a bad miscalculation,” reports the Mirror.
The 29-year-old has been struggling to find his form in this year’s majors, with only a tie for seventh at last month’s Open to show for it. He scraped through at the Masters, finishing T45, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and was forced to withdraw from the US Open due to a pesky foot infection.
Before the Open, golfing guru Paul McGinley voiced concerns over Rahm’s dip in form, hinting that whispers of discontent with LIV Golf, which reportedly dangled a $500m carrot to snag him, might be affecting his game. “He’s not on the cutting edge the way he was,” McGinley observed.
“His performances in majors are showing that. I don’t think he’s in a happy place; he doesn’t look content on the golf course.”
Despite a rocky start to 2024, Rahm hasn’t been totally off the radar, tying for third in both Adelaide and Nashville LIV events but failing to secure a win in the first 10. However, he turned the tables last month by clinching victory at the LIV UK, keeping his streak of winning at least one tournament each year since turning pro alive.
Rahm has also been vocal about tweaking LIV Golf to better suit his tastes. This April, he slammed the current 54-hole, shotgun-start format, advocating for a traditional 72-hole setup. “The closer we can get LIV to do some of these things, the better,” Rahm remarked, pushing for change.