Jon Rahm's $900 million LIV claim slapped down by golf legend
The reigning Masters champion's claim that his LIV move is not about money has been rubbished by Fred Couples
Jon Rahm's reasons for moving to LIV Golf have been rubbished by golf legend Fred Couples. The World No. 3 and reigning Masters champion said his $900 million defection to the Saudi-backed league was not about money and instead was for the opportunity to be a pioneer and help "revolutionise and innovate" the sport.
Rahm was a staunch and public supporter of the PGA Tour and the announcement was a stunning backflip. And Couples says Rahm's reasoning isn't fooling anyone as it is clear the move is all about money.
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“My ass," Couples said on SiriusXM's PGA Tour radio show this week, speaking about the reasons Rahm gave for leaving the PGA Tour. "$100 million (USD) doesn’t get it, $200 million doesn’t get it, $300 million doesn’t get it, but for $400 million it’s a great product, and it’s a great show?
"Tell me the next guy, whether it’s Tony Finau, ‘I’m going for free, boys. I love this Tour. I don’t like the PGA Tour anymore’. No one’s gonna do that. What does that tell me? It tells me it’s all about money, which is fine. But don’t sit there and go on and tell me they’re 'changing the game'. What are they changing?
"Actually, for 50 years, golf has been changed. Arnold Palmer changed it. Jack Nicklaus changed it. Tiger Woods changed it. The LIV Tour ain’t changing a thing."
USA Today Sports columnist Nancy Armour also took aim at Rahm, saying he has sold himself to the Saudis. "Only Jon Rahm can say whether he sold his soul. His principles and his reputation, however, are now owned by the Saudis," she wrote. "The two-time major champion and once-ardent defender of the PGA Tour became the biggest name to defect to LIV Golf on Thursday, deciding the tradition and challenge of the Tour weren’t so important to him, after all.
"Who needs to play on courses where Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods made their mark when you can stage glorified exhibitions with the Cleeks and the HyFlyers! So long as the price is right, that is."
Rahm says LIV Golf decision is due to his love of being part of a team
The reigning Masters champion confirmed the rumours he was defecting to LIV last week on Fox News in the United States but didn't go into detail about the eye-watering sums of money he's said to collect as a result. He instead talked about how LIV's team mentality made him want to make the switch and how the offer was "very, very enticing".
"I have officially joined LIV Golf," Rahm said. "It's not an easy decision because I've had a really successful career and I've been really happy. But there's a lot of things that LIV Golf has to offer that were very, very enticing, starting with team golf.
"Being part of a team is something that's been really big for me throughout my career. I was part of the Spanish national team from the age of 14 until I graduated college. I was part of the Arizona State golf team. As a pro, you don't have that chance very often. ... It's something that is very fun to play for something more than just yourself. And simply, the growth that LIV Golf has brought to the game of golf. It's something fresh. It's something new. It's something with a ton of potential and opportunity. It's something I'm really excited about."
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