Former world number 1 golfer Jon Rahm and LIV Golf have reportedly come to terms on a separation agreement on Wednesday amidst the fledgling golf league’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
According to reports, Rahm and LIV Golf have agreed to release his exclusive name, image and likeness rights and other related marks in exchange for Rahm releasing all his monetary claims against the circuit. The deal still needs to be ratified by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge at the next hearing scheduled for November 5th.
While the exact figures have remained sealed, Rahm is believed to have been owed more than $100M over the remainder of his contract. Initially signed to what’s believed to have been a $300M+ multi-year deal back in 2023, the 31 year old also earned more than $107M in tournament purses throughout his LIV Golf career.
As part of the agreement, Rahm is believed to be retaining the rights to the “Legion XIII” team name, but cannot use it in a way which indicates any connection to LIV Golf.
A jump back to the PGA Tour seems inevitable at this point, though a timeline on when such a move becomes official remains murky. Rahm is currently scheduled to play in the Abu Dhabi championship on November 5-8th after taking some time off to help with the birth of his fourth child.
Former LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour in February under its Returning Member Program, however Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were some of the high profile golfers who opted to remain with LIV Golf. With the rival circuit now facing an uncertain future, it will be interesting to see if DeChambeau or Smith buy into the vision of LIV 2.0 or choose to follow Koepka back to the PGA ranks.
Players have until October 25th to make a decision as to whether they participate in LIV 2.0 or not. The league will then make a determination as to whether it will move forward with the project or fold operations altogether.
Photo: Bryan Berlin. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.