Jon Rahm Planning to Leave LIV Post-Bankruptcy, Lawyer Says

Jon Rahm will not participate in the next iteration of LIV Golf.

“Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0, as the parties have been referring to it, and has determined that those terms are unacceptable as to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0,” his lawyer, John Beck of Dentons, LLP, said during a hearing in the league’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in New Jersey on Wednesday.

Rahm has multiple years left on his LIV contract that he signed ahead of the 2024 season, and is reportedly still owed more than $100 million in future guarantees. Specific terms of his deal are not public but its total value was widely believed to be well into the nine figures, with some initial reports suggesting it was worth more than $300 million. He made more than $106 million in on-course prize and bonus money during his three seasons at LIV, according to Spotrac.

Now, Rahm and LIV “are in advanced discussions for a consensual separation agreement,” Beck said, which they hope to finalize on or before Oct. 15, with a goal of the court hearing it on Nov. 5. 

Judge Michael Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, approved LIV’s motion to reject all existing player contracts, excluding Rahm’s. If a settlement is not reached by Nov. 5, Rahm intends to continue fighting LIV in court, according to Beck.

The news that Rahm plans to leave LIV is not surprising. He had been coy in recent months when asked about his future with the league, often noting he was still under contract but never committing to continuing to play. 

Rahm was LIV’s biggest star besides Bryson DeChambeau, although he has not won a major since leaving the PGA Tour after the 2023 season. Barring a special deal with the PGA Tour, he won’t be eligible to return until at least next August—one year after his most recent LIV event. Rahm will remain eligible to compete on the DP World Tour and the Ryder Cup. He was scheduled to compete at this week’s Spanish Open but withdrew due to the imminent birth of his fourth child.

LIV on Monday signed a long-awaited amended restructuring support agreement (RSA) with BC Partners—the private equity and credit firm set to provide $300 million of new financing for LIV post-bankruptcy—that includes an initial $4 million loan to aid with the Chapter 11 process. As part of that deal, BC Partners pushed back an Oct. 13 deadline for a “requisite number of players” to agree to new contracts with LIV to Oct. 25.