Rahm Speaks Plainly: Golfers Should Be Able to Choose – The Wild Back and Forth on the Greens!
Well, folks, are you already dizzy from the whole transfer merry-go-round in the golf circus? No sooner have you gotten used to the new camps than the next shocker news arrives, blurring the lines again. Right into this chaos, a clear statement now bursts forth from two-time Major winner Jon Rahm: Golfers should be able to decide for themselves where they tee off!
His words fall on particularly fertile ground, because just a few days before the LIV Golf season opener in Riyadh this week, former Masters Champion Patrick Reed announced he would be leaving LIV and returning to the PGA Tour later in the season. Bang! And as if that wasn't enough, Brooks Koepka had already left the LIV stage in December and joined a brand new "Returning Member Program" of the PGA Tour, which PGA Tour Boss Brian Rolapp launched late last year. Things really got down to business on the desks of the Tour bosses!
Rahm Unfazed: "Everyone Does What's Best for Them"
When asked about Reed's decision, Rahm left no doubt about his opinion: "I think everyone has to do what's best for them. We are free to choose where we want to play golf. At least, it should be that way." And he added: "He made his choice. I really have nothing against him." That's how it should be, folks: Fair play, even if the camps are different.
His Ryder Cup and LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton agreed with him. "He was out of contract, had options, and decided that to move forward, he wanted to play on the PGA Tour again," Hatton explained to reporters. "If he were still playing for LIV, he would make the league stronger," he added. "He chose his path, and as Jon said, you can only wish him the best for the future." An attitude that could well be useful off the fairway too!
LIV and the Divides: Consequences for Returnees
Jon Rahm himself, by the way, is among the top players and Major winners – including Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith – who have committed to remaining loyal to LIV Golf through 2026. The whole thing shows once again: Golf is in flux, and loyalties are, let's say, dynamic.
Since its launch in 2022, LIV Golf has created deep divides in the sport, as some of golf's biggest names turned their backs on the PGA Tour and signed lucrative deals. PGA Tour Boss Rolapp said Koepka's decision to leave LIV last month prompted officials to consider how to deal with players who wished to return.
The result is the PGA Tour's "Returning Member Program," which comes with "harsh and justified consequences." This includes a five-year forfeiture of participation rights in the PGA Tour's Player Equity Program. And Brooks Koepka? He agreed
