Jon Rahm ‘not allowed’ to make public appearances after LIV Golf transfer

Jon Rahm’s transfer to LIV Golf has made him and his household extremely rich for generations, nevertheless it has additionally come at a price.

The 2-time main champion, who doubles as the most effective orators within the sport, is not allowed to make public appearances in the interim, in keeping with a report from Reuters.

“I’m beneath very strict directions to not do public occasions, which I’ve imposed on myself a little bit bit for myself, and for the change I’ve given to the world of golf within the final week,” Rahm stated.

“There can be nothing till February. I’m not allowed to.”

The 2024 LIV Golf season kicks off through the first weekend of February, so till then, Rahm must lay low.

The Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund for the authoritarian Saudi Arabian Kingdom, has bankrolled LIV Golf since its inception in 2022. The PIF has signed quite a few main champions, together with Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Cameron Smith. The fund has spent north of $1 billion creating the league, which has since develop into a stern rival of the PGA Tour and altered the construction of males’s skilled golf.

It reportedly signed Rahm for over $400 million to hitch LIV Golf, maybe essentially the most vital transfer throughout golf’s civil struggle.

Picture by Stuart Kerr/Getty Pictures

But, Rahm, presently the third-ranked participant on the earth, has additionally been a voice of motive for the previous few years, relaying his sincere opinions on varied subjects. He has overtly mentioned—and supplied glorious views about Mickelson’s choice to hitch LIV, the Ryder Cup, and the way the PGA Tour ought to have higher lavatory entry for gamers, amongst many different subjects.

Nonetheless, Rahm’s candid openness now appears restricted, which was on full show Wednesday in his native Basque Nation.

Rahm made these feedback about his public appearances—or lack thereof—in Bilbao, Spain, close to his hometown of Barrika. However he was shocked to seek out so many tv cameras and journalists on the Sociedad Bilbaina, the membership that honored Rahm with the ‘Dama Bilbaina 2023’ award for his excellence in golf.

“I didn’t assume there can be any cameras and that it might be a bit extra intimate,” Rahm admitted.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough too.