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Paolo UggettiESPN
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm said his “heart is with the PGA Tour” Tuesday and that he has had “zero” conversations with fellow Spanish player Sergio Garcia about joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
“Money is great, but when [his wife] Kelley and I — this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we’re like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit,” Rahm said. “Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.”
Rahm added that the LIV format of 54 holes and a shotgun start without a cut does not appeal to him. He said he watched some of the LIV broadcast last week and noticed that all the commentators could talk about was the prize money.
“Nobody is talking about winning that event in London with the essence that some other events have,” Rahm said. “And that to me is what’s attractive, being able to consider yourself champion of this with a history that comes with it.”
Rahm, 27, said his biggest concern as it relates to LIV is how it could affect which players are allowed to play the Ryder Cup and mentioned Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau as players whose status in the cup may be up in the air, adding that Phil Mickelson‘s captaincy “is probably in question now.”
“I think the Ryder Cup is the biggest attraction the game of golf has to bring new people in,” Rahm said. “I hope we don’t lose the essence and the aspect that the Ryder Cup is.”
Rahm said he was not surprised by players leaving the PGA Tour for LIV because of the money that is being thrown around and that, for some players, that amounts to their “retirement plan.” When asked about the moral conundrum of playing for a league backed by Saudi money, Rahm shook his head.
“I’m not going to get into politics. I see that’s a narrative a lot of people are trying to go toward,” Rahm said. “I’m not going to get into it. They’re professional golfers. They’re not politicians. They’re just trying to improve their life and their future wherever they may be. I’m not going to comment on that.”