Jon Rahm has finalized a separation agreement to leave LIV Golf, choosing to walk away from roughly £75m (approx. $100m) still owed to him from his original contract. The Spaniard, who joined the breakaway circuit from the PGA Tour in December 2023, opted for a full economic exit rather than accepting restructuring terms proposed by the league. According to ESPN, He is owed about $100m (£75m), external from the remainder of the $300m, (£222m) contract he signed when he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in December 2023. Instead, he has waived his entire claim in order to have a “complete economic walk-away”. LIV golfers are automatically banned for a year by the PGA Tour.
The league has faced severe financial instability, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September following the withdrawal of multi-billion dollar backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Rahm had been identified as the organization’s primary unsecured creditor, with $7.4m (£5.5m) alone outstanding for the remainder of the 2026 season. Despite reports that LIV secured $300m in potential new financing from BC Partners Credit to pursue a ‘LIV 2.0’ model, Rahm declared these conditions unacceptable.
As part of the settlement, Rahm will retain the rights to ‘Legion XIII’, the team he previously captained. However, the agreement stipulates he is prohibited from utilizing the branding to establish a franchise within the TGL, the high-tech indoor league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Rahm remains a significant figure in professional golf, having secured his third consecutive LIV season title in August. While other players like Brooks Koepka have navigated paths back to the PGA Tour under specific sanctioning rules, Rahm focused on maintaining his eligibility for the upcoming Ryder Cup. In May, he secured a deal with the DP World Tour, which provides a strategic pathway to PGA Tour membership for the top 10 players on the European circuit. Some players, including Brooks Koepka, have since returned to the PGA Tour, which rewrote its rules in December to allow the five-time major winner to come back, subject to certain sanctions. The DP World Tour offers a pathway because the leading 10 players on the European circuit currently gain access to PGA Tour membership.
Although Rahm previously maintained that he had no regrets regarding his move to LIV and expressed confidence in its long-term viability, he has now opted for a clean break from the organization. His departure marks a notable shift in the professional landscape, as the league attempts to navigate its current insolvency proceedings.
