Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf: What butterfly effects will 2x major champion’s SHOCKING switch bring for PGA Tour’s future?

Jon Rahm stunned the world after he shockingly joined LIV Golf which thus raised questions regarding the future of the PGA Tour.

Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf: What butterfly effects will 2x major champion’s SHOCKING switch bring for PGA Tour’s future?

Jon Rahm (Image via Imago)

The world of golf is still in shock regarding the announcement of Jon Rahm. The Spanish international marked one of the headline moments of golf in 2023 as he switched his allegiance to the LIV Golf. His switch has now raised several unanswered questions with one being what will be the butterfly effect of his move.

For the unversed, the butterfly effect is said to be the impact of small changes. In several scenarios, there have been questions about the word “what if“. What if Rahm never considered this deal? What if he never won the Masters championship this season? However, the question in this development is not of what if but about what will happen to the future of the PGA Tour.

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At the moment, the tour is facing a major task in finalizing the deal with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. This is the body that backs the LIV Golf circuit. The PGA Tour announced a merger with them in June and has since trying to get the deal done soon. They have until the end of December i.e. December 31 to get it done.

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Rahm on the other hand, was one of the tour loyalists. During the first memo released by the tour following the announcement of the merger, the tour mentioned they would compensate those who sided with the Tour during the first wave of talent leaving the tour.

At that time, the current World No. 3 said he did not want a reward from the tour. Since then a lot has changed and Rahm now finds himself shaking hands with Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, which has thus sparked concerns about the future of the PGA Tour.

Will Jon Rahm’s move open the floodgates of the second wave of talent joining LIV Golf?

When LIV Golf was announced, several marquee names in the golfing industry left the PGA Tour. Golfers like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau were a few of them. The launch of LIV Golf opened a huge wave of talents swimming across to the Saudi-backed tour. Will Jon Rahm’s move open the floodgates for the second wave of talent joining LIV Golf?

At that time, Mickelson was probably the biggest name to switch tours. The American is one of the most successful players in this sport and is a six-time major champion and a 45-time winner on the PGA Tour. This time, the biggest name to jump ships is Rahm.

Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm (Pic Credit: Imago)

The Spaniard had one of the best years on the tour and claimed several wins. His biggest triumph though came at the Augusta National where he won the Masters championship. This event is claimed to be one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments in golf. Rahm now joins the breakaway tour as the reigning champion of this event.

LIV Golf Nation, an independent fan page of LIV Golf has now shared an interesting perspective that could follow from this move. There could come a point where the PGA Tour is at a disadvantage and may have to fold into the plans of the others.

Other major questions regarding are of the Ryder Cup. Rahm has already stated to be a part of the Bethpage event in 2025. However, LIV Golfers were not allowed to qualify for the event in 2023. This is something Rory McIlroy spoke about when he discussed the switch of Rahm.

What happens to his relationships with others including Tiger Woods also remains to be seen. The golf great has been continuously working behind the scenes to get the merger deal done. Only time will tell what will happen however one thing is for certain, massive changes are likely on their way in the 2024 season.

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