Jon Rahm may not \u201csee many ways out\u201d of his LIV Golf contract, but he does not sound like someone who harbours regrets about joining the league two years ago.<\/p>\n
The Spanish star spoke to reporters at Aronimink Golf Club ahead of this week\u2019s PGA Championship, less than a month after news emerged that Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would end its financial backing for LIV at the end of the season.<\/p>\n
Rahm joined later than other high-profile players, switching allegiances between the 2023 and 2024 season while the PGA Tour and LIV attempted to iron out details of a \u201cframework agreement\u201d to merge interests. Rahm said on Tuesday he never thought taking the LIV deal, at a reported $300m (R4.9bn) or more, would \u201ctip the scales\u201d in the negotiations, which petered out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of decisions, and I\u2019ve never gone back thinking, \u2018Had I known this, I would do X and Y different,\u2019\u201d Rahm said. \u201cI could do that about 15 different shots on the course every day. If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be very pessimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen tomorrow, and all we can do is learn from things that happen in the past good and bad. To speculate on what could have been different doesn\u2019t make much sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rahm, who said last week he has several years on his contract and doesn\u2019t \u201csee many ways out\u201d of it, said it is human nature to think \u201cwhat could have been\u201d, but he tries to steer away from letting that alter his decision-making.<\/p>\n
If the terms change afterward, like it\u2019s happened with LIV that things changed a bit, it\u2019s an afterthought, not a problem from the choice. Elements have changed a bit<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0Jon Rahm<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you made all the decisions, whatever decision you\u2019ve made or choice is thought through and made for the reasons you think are proper reasons, there\u2019s no sense in dwelling on it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf the terms change afterward, like it\u2019s happened with LIV that things changed a bit, it\u2019s an afterthought, not a problem from the choice. Elements have changed a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those elements that have changed with LIV started small \u2014 for instance, the move this year from 54-hole to 72-hole events to gain limited world ranking points for members. Now the larger LIV experiment may go down unless the league can line up more lines of income. An event planned for June in New Orleans has been postponed, possibly to be played after the official season ends.<\/p>\n
Shortly after Rory McIlroy claimed outsiders could see PIF\u2019s decision coming, Rahm reflected on how LIV players followed the reports last month while in Mexico City.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is something we\u2019ve had to deal with, but it\u2019s out of my control,\u201d he said. \u201cOut of the talents I have, fixing a business is not one. My job is to play golf. It\u2019s the people in charge of LIV, whose job I do not envy, not now, not when things are going good because it\u2019s not something I think I can do. It\u2019s their job to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rahm has collected two wins, three runners-up and a top-five in the first six events of the LIV calendar before tying for eighth last week in Virginia. However, he tied for 38th at the Masters.<\/p>\n
LIV\u2019s new deal with the Official World Golf Ranking means Rahm has climbed to 20th in the world thanks to points earned from the top-10s. The two-time major winner said he doesn\u2019t necessarily need a ranking to tell him where his game is at, but quibbled about his position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way I\u2019ve played, including the past three years, I feel like I\u2019m playing better than the ranking I have,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to get into the details of what number I would be because I don\u2019t want to insult any player who doesn\u2019t play fantastic golf, but I feel like higher than I am would be fair.\u201d \u2014 Field Level Media<\/p>\n