Jon Rahm will be free to leave LIV and pursue other opportunities under separation agreement
Jon Rahm officially can leave LIV Golf and possibly pursue a return to the PGA Tour
Jon Rahm will be able to leave LIV Golf and pursue other opportunities under a separation agreement filed in a New Jersey bankruptcy court.
A week after Rahm's attorney told the court his client would not play on the beleaguered tour in 2027, the agreement was filed Wednesday and is scheduled for a judge's approval Nov. 5.
The agreement says Rahm owes no further service or performance obligations under any contract, is not bound by league regulations or team rules and policies and may join or contract with any tour, league, or sponsor without notice to or consent from LIV. The Spaniard also was granted his name, image and likeness rights under the agreement.
Rahm is scheduled to play his first event following his LIV departure Nov. 5-8 at the Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates.
When LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, court files showed Rahm was owed $7.5 million. Rahm had said in May he had several years left on his contract. His signing bonus, never confirmed, was reported to be in the $300 million range. The separation agreement did not mention monetary compensation.
Rahm, a Masters and U.S. Open champion and the last player to be No. 1 in the world before Scottie Scheffler, was among the biggest and most stunning acquisitions by LIV Golf at the end of 2023 when he was the reigning Masters champion.
The PGA Tour has said it would not hold conversations with any LIV player still legally under contract. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp brought back five-time major champion Brooks Koepka with heavy financial stipulations at the start of this year, after Koepka negotiated an end to his LIV contract. Rolapp offered the deal to three other major champions, including Rahm, giving them a two-week deadline to decide. None took the offer.
Two months later, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia said it would no longer bankroll the rival league after the 2026 season.
Rahm was the individual points champion each of the last three years, when the prize money was $20 million for individual competition and bonuses were awarded for the points race. His total earnings from LIV over the last three years topped $100 million.
The PGA Tour typically bans players for one year after their last LIV event, though it made an exception for Koepka. Bryson DeChambeau, among those who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tour when LIV began, has not indicated any desire to return.
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