Jon Rahm offers LIV speaking factors, eliciting indignant reactions

Jon Rahm made it official Thursday night time. Rahm signed with LIV Golf, leaving the PGA Tour and his integrity behind.

Simply over a yr in the past, Rahm pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour publicly. Earlier this yr, he trashed LIV for its format and made it clear that even $400 million wouldn’t change his thoughts.

Nicely, apparently round $500 million did.

Rumors had swirled this is able to come to fruition. Not like prior to now, Rahm’s camp by no means shot them down. So, the writing was on the wall.

However even I used to be shocked after I heard what the reigning Masters champion needed to say to Fox Information upon the official announcement.

“Clearly the previous two years there’s been plenty of evolving on the sport of golf, issues have modified so much and so have I,” Rahm mentioned. “Seeing the expansion of LIV Golf, seeing the evolution of LIV Golf and innovation is one thing that has actually captured my consideration.

“I believe the expansion that I’ve seen and the way it’s grow to be a worldwide enterprise, proper, and the way we will impression golf globally, and in a a lot significant method, is one thing that’s been very engaging.”

He’s proper about one factor, he has modified. He went from being a agency supporter and believer within the PGA Tour to becoming a member of LIV. However past that, his response appears like LIV Golf speaking factors off a teleprompter, together with his personal social media.

“I’m proud to hitch LIV Golf and be a part of one thing new that’s bringing progress to the game. I’ve little question that this can be a nice alternative for me and my household and am very excited for the longer term,” he posted to X, previously Twitter.

All of this discuss LIV Golf rising the sport, LIV’s evolution. What’s he speaking about?

Tv viewership has been atrocious because the starting and has gained zero traction. That’s why it’s aired on the CW Community, which even DirecTV and different cable suppliers ditched. In different phrases, tens hundreds of thousands of houses actually can’t watch LIV Golf even when they needed to.

As for the LIV evolving, has it modified since its inception? The foundations are primarily the identical. The group format is similar exterior of trades, which is clearly ridiculous. It’s virtually not possible to take the group idea of LIV Golf significantly. Simply take a look at the Talor Gooch commerce earlier Thursday.

They clearly don’t even take it significantly themselves.

I’d have had a lot extra respect for Rahm had he come out and simply mentioned ‘Hey, they supplied a half billion {dollars}. Would you flip it down?’ However he didn’t do this. He merely mentioned stay on Fox Information that it was some huge cash however was a “non-public matter.”

I’m not alone both.

Earlier than anybody will get on me about ‘hey, you’ll take $500 million, so be quiet,’ I’ve a retort.

If I have been probably the greatest golfers on the earth and had a pulse, I’d bear in mind that LIV would finally method me with a suggestion.

So I wouldn’t have put myself on this place by pledging my allegiance to the Tour, or spoken at size about how my legacy was going to constructed on Tour.

However that’s simply me.

You’re appropriate although. I’d have made the identical resolution to take the cash and anybody who says they wouldn’t are mendacity or loopy. You may handle your loved ones for generations.

However that’s not what this text is about.

Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor at SB Nation’s Taking part in By. For extra golf protection, observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social media platforms.