“That’s why we’re here today” - Jon Rahm says the evolution of LIV Golf over the last 2 years led to a U-turn in his opinion

Jon Rahm announced his move to LIV Golf on Thursday. The Masters champion reportedly signed a contract worth over $500 million. The Spaniard later revealed that the “evolution” of the Saudi-backed series over the last two years prompted his move.

It's noteworthy that Rahm wasn’t always a fan of LIV Golf. The golfer had earlier criticized the Saudi-backed series’ 54-hole format. He said that the LIV format “is not really appealing” to him and that the three-day shotgun with no cuts “is not a golf tournament.” However, he has made a U-turn and joined sides with the controversial league.

On signing the LIV contract, Rahm said that “there’s been a lot of evolving on the game of golf” since the series’ inception. He said that the Greg Norman-led event ‘really captured his attention’ over the last two seasons. Jon Rahm said on Thursday, as quoted by Golfweek:

“Obviously the past two years there’s been a lot of evolving on the game of golf, things have changed a lot and so have I. Seeing the growth of LIV Golf, seeing the evolution of LIV Golf and innovation is something that has really captured my attention. … I think the growth that I’ve seen and how it’s become a global business, right, and how we can impact golf globally, and in a much meaningful way, is something that’s been very enticing.

"For all those things that I like about this movement, there’s always going to be some things that are not perfect, but that’s the situation in everybody’s life. With that said, it’s an ever-growing and ever-changing machine, right. So, I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and maybe see some changes in the future for the better of the game.”

Jon Rahm has become the biggest name to defect to LIV Golf since 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith. The Spaniard joins the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and his good friend Koepka on the PIF-backed series.

It's pertinent to note that Rahm left the PGA Tour after 151 starts. The 29-year-old Spaniard registered 11 wins, 10 runner-up and 10 third-place finishes. He amassed a total of $51,546,651 in earnings from the American circuit.

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How much is Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf contract worth?

According to The Wall Street Journal, Jon Rahm signed for a contract worth $300 million for three years.

It's noteworthy that this is the biggest contract offered by the series to any player. Apart from the hefty paycheck, LIV is expected to add a 13th team led by Rahm. The World No.3 also later admitted that money was a factor in his defection.

Jon Rahm said on Thursday:

“Money was one of the reasons. I mean, I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you, so it was definitely one of the reasons/ … this decision was made for many reasons (like) what I thought was best for me, don’t get me wrong.

"It’s a great deal. Right? I had a really good offer in front of me, and it’s one of the reasons why I took it.”

The Spaniard later took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to say that he's “proud” to join LIV.