Jon Rahm's PGA Championship Exit: Unanswered LIV Golf Questions Loom Large
So, the PGA Championship wraps up. Arononmink. Tough track. No joke. Knotty rough, greens like you’re trying to putt on a pool table, and enough wind to make you question your life choices. And then there’s Jon Rahm. He played damn well, no doubt. But he walked away with more questions hanging over his head than a beginner trying to figure out how to swing a club.
When Rahm first saw the place, he was baffled. Everyone was talking about guys shooting 15, 20 under. “I didn’t see any chance in the world of that happening,” he said. And he was right. Not a single player broke double digits under par. Aaron Rai snagged the win, nobody saw that coming. He shot a 65 in the final round to finish nine under. Rahm himself? He was right there, at six under, grinding it out. He shot rounds of 69 and 70 early on, then really started to figure it out with a 67 and a 68 on the weekend. Solid stuff. But that wasn’t the main story, was it?
The Elephant in the Room: LIV Golf's Uncertain Future
See, this tournament wasn’t just about Rahm chasing another major. It was the first major since LIV Golf’s big money backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, dropped a bombshell: they’re pulling their funding at the end of the 2026 season. That’s a hell of a statement. It throws the whole damn league into question. Will LIV even survive? Maybe. But it’s hard to picture it continuing to hand out nine-figure contracts and $30 million purses. Any private equity that steps in to keep it afloat is going to want to see some damn returns. They’ll be looking to tighten the belt. Ask the PGA Tour how that works.
And Rahm? He’s a massive part of the LIV sales pitch. Maybe *the* key piece, locked up until at least 2027. Then you’ve got Bryson DeChambeau. Bigger draw, sure, but he’s playing hard to get. With only a handful of events left in 2026, DeChambeau is still unsigned for next season. Assuming there *is* a next season, of course. LIV CEO Scott O’Neil says DeChambeau is all in, even sitting in on investor meetings. But until Bryson signs a new deal, LIV can’t promise any potential buyers that their biggest star is even going to be part of the package. It’s a bit of a mess, frankly.
Rahm's Stance: Focus on the Golf, Not the Fallout
So, back to LIV’s second-biggest star, the 31-year-old Rahm. When he jumped ship to LIV, he was ranked third in the world. He was coming off a year where he won the Masters and had two other top-10s in majors. It was a seismic shift. Not just for him and his bank account, but for the whole damn sport. LIV grabbing another big name like Rahm made it seem like that framework agreement with the PGA Tour was a done deal. Then… it wasn’t. The Tour got its own private equity infusion, the trickle of players going to LIV dried up, and LIV, outside of a few international spots, just hasn’t captured the fans’ imagination. Not really.
During the week, Rahm was asked if he had any regrets about his move to LIV. His answer? “Well, we all go back,” he said. “We all think what could have been and what couldn’t have been. It’s inevitable. Whatever decision you’ve made or choice is thought through and made for the reasons that you think are proper reasons, there’s no sense in dwelling on it. In fact, you shouldn’t really be unhappy about it. At least there’s nothing that you regret. If the terms change afterward, like it’s happened with LIV that things changed a little bit, it’s an afterthought, not a problem from the choice. I would say that elements have changed a little bit. That’s it.”
You can almost hear him sighing. It’s a diplomatic answer, for sure. He’s not saying “I screwed up,” but he’s not exactly saying “This is the best damn decision I ever made” either. He’s acknowledging that things have changed. That’s a pretty big understatement, isn’t it?
The Pressure Cooker of Saturday Night
Then came Saturday night. Rahm was in the mix, just two shots back of the leader, Alex Smalley. And, surprise, surprise, he was asked about LIV again. This time, the question was about what a Rahm win at Arononmink would mean for the league, especially in this “fragile moment.” Rahm’s response was classic major championship focus: he thinks only about himself and what he can control. But he did let slip, “If I do get it done and I sit here again tomorrow, then you can ask me the same question, and I’ll give you an answer.” He added, “Hopefully I can keep doing what I’ve done so far this week, especially today, and I get the chance to answer that tomorrow.”
He was practically setting himself up for it. The chance to address the LIV drama head-on with a trophy in hand. It would have been a huge moment. A massive statement. But golf, as we all know, is a cruel mistress.
Sunday's Drama: Close, But No Cigar
Sunday. Rahm starts off hot, 3-3, birdie-birdie. Looking good. Then a sloppy wedge at the third and a loose tee shot at the seventh cost him two shots. He battled back, birdying the ninth and sixteenth to get to six under, right in the thick of it. He was within striking distance of Rai. But then, in the pairing ahead, Rai birdied 16 and 17. Game over. Rahm had done his part, playing “really good golf,” as he put it. He just wished he’d gotten the speed of the greens better. Couldn’t get the ball to the hole. That’s the difference between winning and just playing well.
So, he walks away with a T-something finish, not a win. And the LIV questions? They’re still there. Louder, maybe. He’ll have a week off, then it’s off to LIV Korea, then Valderrama in Spain. His next major? The U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June. You can bet your bottom dollar those same damn questions will be waiting for him. Maybe this time, he’ll actually answer them. Or maybe he’ll just play good golf and leave everyone guessing.
It’s a strange time for professional golf. You’ve got these massive financial forces clashing, and players like Rahm are caught in the middle. They make their choices, sign their deals, and then have to deal with the fallout. Rahm’s performance at the PGA Championship showed he’s still a force to be reckoned with on any stage, major or otherwise. But the lingering uncertainty around LIV Golf casts a shadow over everything. It’s a damn shame, really. All this talent, all this money, and it feels like we’re constantly on the verge of something collapsing. Let’s hope for golf’s sake, things get a little clearer soon. You can read more about the challenges facing professional golf and its major tours on sites like PGA Tour, which offer insights into the ever-evolving landscape of the sport.