“Happy for Jon Rahm” - Phil Mickelson breaks his silence after World No. 3 finally switches to LIV Golf
Jon Rahm is officially a part of the LIV Golf Series. In a shocking move, the World No. 3 golfer announced his departure from the PGA Tour on December 7. This defection has received a lot of mixed reactions from many, but Phil Mickelson's was a positive one.
It has been reported that Rahm signed with the league for a deal worth around $450 million, along with Rahm getting his own team for the 2024 season. Finally breaking his silence about the move, Phil Mickelson congratulated Rahm for joining the LIV Series on X (formerly Twitter).
"In life you want good things to happen to good people. Happy for Jon Rahm," Mickelson wrote.
Earlier this year, Jon Rahm had brushed off the prospect of joining the LIV Golf series, despite being good friends with Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson. Rahm had stated that the format did not particularly suit him and that his decision to not join the series was respected by Mickelson.
In August, Rahm was quoted as saying according to The Mirror:
"I always have a good time with Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the practice rounds of Majors. Phil [Mickelson] respects my decision, and I respect his [choice]. Mickelson has told me that I have no reason to go play for LIV, and he has told me that multiple times.”
Jon Rahm reiterates that Phil Mickelson had no role to play in his LIV Golf move
When Jon Rahm was asked whether Phil Mickelson had played a role in his switch to LIV Golf, the World No. 3 golfer stated that Mickelson was not involved in the deal and that he made the decision for himself.
In a Q&A session with Fox Sports before the announcement of his move, Rahm stated that he could not discuss the deal with anyone, including Mickelson.
“None. No role at all. All those players on LIV are finding out shortly after we’re doing this Q&A. No role at all. He’s somebody I lean on to for advice as I’ve always done but not somebody I’ve talked to. I know he wishes I could’ve talked to him but it’s not something I could’ve done," said Rahm.
Rahm had reportedly stated that he had been in contact with Mickelson ever since the latter joined LIV Golf. However, for the sake of privacy, no information was disclosed to anybody ahead of the deal.