3 times Jon Rahm has spoken in favor of LIV Golf
Jon Rahm is currently the talk of the town after rumors of him joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf surfaced on the internet. The Spanish golfer spurred speculation that he would be joining LIV after he withdrew from the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy virtual golf series (TGL) and turned down the PGA Tour's invitation to join their policy board. The 2023 Masters winner, though, remained silent on the accusation.
One golfer who erred on the side of caution and avoided discussing LIV since its inception is Jon Rahm. Last year, he had an excellent chance to enter the circuit but turned it down. But again, these days, there are rumors that he's switching the series.
Here are three times when Jon Rahm spoke in favor of LIV Golf.
3 times Jon Rahm has spoken in favor of LIV Golf
#1 Jon Rahm was thankful for LIV Golf
Ahead of the Hero World Challenge in November last year, Jon Rahm opened up about LIV Golf and said that he was thankful that the Saudi-based league happened.
After the inception of the LIV Golf, the PGA Tour made several changes to its schedule and even introduced designated tournaments with elevated purses.
Rahm was thankful for LIV saying that because of the Saudi circuit, there have been numerous changes on the Tour. He said as quoted by SI:
“I think on this side of things we should be thankful that LIV happened. I don’t know if those changes would have happened if LIV wasn’t in the picture. So to an extent, yeah, we should be thankful."
#2 Rahm supported LIV golfer to play at the Ryder Cup
The 2023 Ryder Cup missed several big names from the European team. Most of the veteran golfers resigned from membership to compete on the Saudi circuit and failed to make it to the biennial tournament.
Earlier this year ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, Rahm spoke about the Saudi circuit players and said that he would miss playing with fellow Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia.
Rahm said as quoted by SB Nation:
"I think it would be really stupid for anybody not to lean on Sergio García’s experience in The Ryder Cup. He is the best player Europe has ever had, won the most points, and he has shown it time and time again."
“If [Garcia] could be a vice-captain, I absolutely would lean on him,” he added. “Same as how we are going to lean on [Jose Maria Olazábal] at this coming Ryder Cup, right?”
#3 Jon Rahm spoke in support of Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson received backlash from fans and players alike for his decision to join LIV Golf. However, Jon Rahm supported him and said that he would always be his friend.
Last year in his interview with the media, Rahm said as quoted by SI:
"Well, listen, you're entitled to your own opinion and it's not my place to judge what you think and where you're coming from. Phil is my friend and I'm going to treat him as such. I understand why people think the way—why people thought certain things. I may agree with it or not, but it's not my place to tell them what to say or not to say obviously. Some things I agree with, some things I didn't agree with."
Since Jon Rahm was an amateur golfer, Phil Mickelson and the Spaniard have been the closest of friends. They first got along when Mickelson's brother was Rahm's collegiate head coach.