[ad_1]
Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates making a putt for birdie on the 18th inexperienced in the course of the ultimate spherical of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 20, 2021 in San Diego, California.
Sean M. Haffey | Getty Photographs Sport | Getty Photographs
Golf celebrity Jon Rahm formally signed on with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league Thursday in an industry-shocking departure from the PGA Tour. The announcement follows quite a few experiences that indicated Rahm was gearing as much as log off on the deal.
Rahm, who gained the Masters in April and is ranked No. 3 on the earth, instructed Fox New’s Brett Baier on Thursday, “The expansion that LIV Golf has delivered to the sport is one thing with a ton of potential and one thing I am actually enthusiastic about.”
“I am unable to touch upon that, personal enterprise,” Rahm added in response to hypothesis concerning the reported price ticket of the deal.
The transfer is the newest blockbuster growth within the lengthy and tumultuous saga of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The 2 leagues face a Dec. 31 deadline to resolve the destiny of their proposed mixture.
The golf world is rife with hypothesis that the cope with Rahm might be a part of a method by LIV to strain the PGA Tour into signing off on the merger.
When requested for remark, LIV Golf referred CNBC to the announcement made Thursday.
ESPN reported Thursday that the cope with Rahm might lengthen past three years and is price greater than $300 million. By comparability, former PGA golfer Phil Mickelson inked a cope with LIV in 2022 for $200 million. Rahm may be getting an possession stake in a brand new staff on the league as LIV recruits further PGA Tour gamers, ESPN added.
Final month, PGA introduced that its league members would get the chance to take an possession stake within the new firm shaped after the completion of the PGA-LIV Golf merger.
LIV has repeatedly poached PGA gamers, creating a selected level of competition for different golfers within the sport. Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 2 participant, stated in July that he would retire if LIV Golf was “the final place to play golf on earth.”
The PGA Tour declined to touch upon information of a cope with Rahm. An company that has represented Rahm additionally declined to remark. One other agency representing Rahm did not instantly reply to a request.
The Wall Road Journal first reported that Rahm was engaged on a cope with LIV.
