Jon Rahm Says Rejecting LIV Golf 2.0 Required Little Thought

Jon Rahm said rejecting LIV Golf's revamped "2.0" format took little deliberation, as the two-time major champion opened his first DP World Tour start since leaving the Saudi-backed league at this week's Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

Why Did Rahm Turn Down LIV 2.0?

Rahm left LIV last month after three seasons in which he won the league's individual championship every year. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has since exited as LIV's primary backer, and new creditors BC Partners are now trying to assemble a second iteration of the league for 2027.

Rahm said few details of that plan were settled ahead of last week's player-commitment deadline, and what he did see felt like a departure from what originally drew him to LIV: less emphasis on team competition, and a format that struck him as closer to a conventional tour event.

It wasn't really ever much of a consideration to be honest.

The Spaniard said he still views his three years at LIV positively, pointing to strong individual and team results, but drew a clear line between that experience and the proposed relaunch.

What Is Rahm's Path Back to the PGA Tour?

Rahm's immediate priority is the Race to Dubai. He entered the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, the opening event of the DP World Tour's Play-Offs, ranked 51st in the standings and needs a top-50 finish to qualify for the season-ending event in Dubai.

Beyond this season, Rahm's route to the PGA Tour is unsettled. He and several other LIV players turned down the PGA Tour's Returning Member Program months before PIF's exit from LIV, a deal that let Brooks Koepka rejoin the Tour under negotiated terms. PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp has since said no other returning LIV golfer will be offered the same terms Koepka received.

Rahm said he would likely accept a similar offer now if one were made, though he doubts it will be. Absent a new arrangement, he expects to spend 2027 competing full-time on the DP World Tour while still raising the possibility of an earlier PGA Tour return with Tour officials.