Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he’d be willing to accept the same penalties and conditions for a return to the PGA Tour that he was once offered – even if he does not expect the same deal will be extended.
Rahm is no longer part of LIV Golf and is planning to play the DP World Tour in 2027 as he serves what would likely be a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour. He said Tuesday that he has not had any conversations with the PGA Tour about a potential return.
Last year, Rahm was among four LIV players who were offered a deal as part of a newly formed returning member program, which included a $5 million fine, no equity shares for five years, and no direct access to signature events or FedExCup bonus money. Brooks Koepka was the only player to accept the deal.
“I don’t know what is in store for us,” Rahm told reporters Tuesday ahead of the DP World Tour’s stop in Abu Dhabi. “We know what they did with Brooks. This is different circumstances. I don’t know what things are going to look like. But it’s a pretty good safety net that I have that I can play the DP World Tour next year, and if it comes to that, I’m really excited to play for a full year.”
When asked directly whether he’d accept the same penalties that Koepka faced a year ago, Rahm said: “Most likely, yeah. Why not? But it’s a big if. I seriously doubt I get offered the same deal that Brooks did. But yeah, if I did get offered exactly the same penalties as him, I probably would do it, yes.”
Rahm said he never seriously considered joining the second iteration of LIV but still looks back at his controversial move as a “positive” and “wonderful experience.”
Rahm rejected the 2.0 version, he said, because he “wasn’t thrilled” with the changes, and that there wasn’t “anything special” about a circuit that he believed was more closely aligned with established tours as opposed to the team-centric format.
“It wasn’t really ever much of a consideration, to be honest,” he said.
As for his play, Rahm said he expects to be rusty after taking time off as he and his wife welcomed the couple’s fourth child. He finished last in his most recent outing, at the BMW PGA Championship, which he attributed to the impending birth (he was concerned the baby would arrive early) and the uncertainty about his LIV future.
“Whether you like to admit it or not, it’s just noise in your head. It’s something you have to deal with,” he said. “It definitely has been something that’s taken attention and effort from what I want to do, and in that way, it has been a distraction for sure.”
Rahm sits at No. 51 in the Race to Dubai standings, just outside the top 50 bubble to qualify for next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
