LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has responded to a report that Jon Rahm, one of the biggest stars of his breakaway, is already regretting his defection from the PGA Tour.
The Spaniard shocked the golf world when he left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed circuit on a $500 million contract in December 2023.
Just over eight months later, however, a “Tour veteran” told Golf Digest that the two-time major winner was already having second thoughts about his nine-figure defection.
“I’m 100 percent sure that if Jon could return the money to the Saudis and go back on tour, he couldn’t sign the check fast enough,” the anonymous source said.
But the breakaway boss was quick to dismiss those claims during the second round of LIV Golf Greenbrier on Saturday.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman (left) responded to a report that Jon Rahm (right) regrets his departure.
“I read an article yesterday where Jon was very unhappy here (LIV Golf) and wanted his money back,” Norman told Golf Magic. “That’s not true.”
“You talk to Jon’s general manager and it’s ridiculous. I really don’t understand it. I really don’t understand the split.”
“The division still exists when we actually show how we work within the ecosystem, how the ecosystem accepts us and how people express themselves,” the Australian continued.
“I don’t understand why this is the case. It indicates that there is something deeply rooted in the past, but we are going to move forward and be true to ourselves.”
The source also hinted that the lack of exposure was a source of frustration for Rahm, adding: “There are only four times a year when he plays now that anyone is even remotely interested.
A ‘Tour veteran’ claimed that the Spaniard would return the 500 million dollars he paid to leave the circuit
‘He thought his position in the game was assured no matter where he played, and that was a huge miscalculation.’
Rahm’s campaign in major championships has been far from ideal this year, playing in just three of golf’s biggest tournaments.
In April, he endured an unsuccessful defense of his Masters title, finishing tied for 45th at Augusta National before failing to make the cut a month later at the PGA Championship.
A mysterious infection in his left foot forced him to withdraw from the US Open at Pinehurst in May, just two days before the tournament was set to begin.
He looked to turn his season around with a seventh-place finish, tied at three under par, at the Open Championship before travelling to Paris to represent Spain at the Olympics.
During the final round at Le Golf National, Rahm, the overnight co-leader, held a four-shot lead after going five under par on the front nine.
Rahm won his first event on the Saudi-backed breakaway last month at LIV Golf UK by JCB
But the LIV maverick then made four bogeys and a double bogey down the stretch of his fourth round to finish four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler.
His collapse was heavily criticised by analyst Brandel Chamblee, who compared it to Rory McIlroy’s implosion in the final round of the US Open earlier this year.
“He shoots 29, Jon Rahm shoots 39. I’m going to say that was one of the biggest meltdowns and chokes of the year, probably up there with Rory McIlroy down the stretch at the U.S. Open,” Chamblee said.
Meanwhile, back at the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, Rahm sits second in the individual standings after holding on to win his first tour-level title at LIV Golf UK by JCB last month, while his team, Legion XIII, also sit second in the team standings.