Jon Rahm has no regrets at joining LIV despite admitting he is already feeling “emotional” about missing events on the PGA Tour.
The Spaniard defected to the Saudi-backed league in December, signing a deal worth a reported £450million. As it stands, he is unable to participate in PGA Tour events, although the PGA and PIF – the Saudi Public Investment Fund that heads up LIV – remain in talks around a merger.
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Rahm will miss this week’s Phoenix Open as a result and has also had to watch the PGA Tour stage events at Palm Springs and Torrey Pines, the venue for his US Open success in 2021, over the past month.
He admits that has been hard, and hopes one day to be able to return.
“It was a lot harder to be at home not competing and knowing those events were going on. Palm Springs and Torrey, those weeks were hard. I’ve explained so many times how important Torrey is for me,” he said.
“And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn’t going to play there, it’s definitely emotional. That’s one of the things that I’m going to miss.
“I’m hoping that in the near future I can be back playing some of those events.
“I would certainly love to go back and play some of them.
“If there’s ever a way back and a way where we can play, even if it’s as an invite, I will take it.
“There are certain events that are special to me that I would still love to support.”
Tee times are live for @WMPhoenixOpen ⛳️
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 6, 2024
Instead of playing in Scottsdale – a course near his home in Arizona – Rahm will this weekend tee it up in Las Vegas in LIV’s second event of the season.
And despite his apparent desire to playing elsewhere, the 29-year-old is adamant he has no regrets over making the move.
“I’m not typically a person that’s going to regret any decisions,” he added.
“I made as educated a decision as I could with the full support of the people around me and [I am] confident that it was the right thing for me, so I’m not going to regret it.”
