Jon Rahm is aware his route back to the PGA Tour is a complicated one and while doubtful he would be once again offered the same deal as Brooks Koepka, he said he would “probably take the penalties”.
Rahm quit LIV Golf after deeming the terms offered for the proposed relaunch of the breakaway series “unacceptable”.
This occurred when LIV Golf was going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the US after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its support at the end of the season, having invested $5bn (£3.7bn) over four years.
Having now left LIV, Rahm is set to return to play on the DP World Tour in 2027, but expressed some uncertainty over his future, admitting he has not yet spoken to the PGA Tour about what a return could look like.
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Rahm quit LIV Golf after deeming the proposed terms of the new league’s iteration ‘unacceptable’
At the beginning of 2026, Rahm declined the PGA Tour’s offer of reinstatement through a specially created Returning Member Program, which was made available to him, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka.
Koepka was the only player to sign up to the Returning Member Program.
“As of right now, I really don’t know what 2027 is going to look like for me,” Rahm said, speaking ahead of the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship, live on Sky Sports from Thursday.
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Rahm is among a number of players who have announced they are leaving the breakaway tour
“I have yet to have a discussion with the PGA Tour to see if there’s any path back for next year, so I don’t know.
“Until I get clarity on that, my plan would be to spend a year on the DP World Tour. I’m looking forward to it.
“Obviously, Brooks [Koepka] was able to go back through certain circumstances.
“I don’t know if the possibility of that would be open for me or not.”
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Brooks Koepka was allowed to return to the PGA Tour in January via the Returning Member Program, but was subject to certain conditions
As part of the Returning Member Program, Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under certain conditions, with the American instructed to make a $5m (£3.7m) charitable donation and was excluded from earning equity on the PGA Tour for the next five years.
At present, Rahm will face a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour before he is eligible to win back his card.
“If I have to fulfil a one-year suspension, it’s a pretty good position to be in. Worst-case scenario, I get to play in a wonderful tour [the DP World Tour] for a whole year,” Rahm added.
“I seriously doubt I will get offered the same deals that Brooks did. But if I got offered exactly the same penalties as him, I probably would do it, yes.”
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Speaking to the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf was ‘half a good idea, executed poorly’
Rahm breaks silence on LIV exit
Rahm, who tees up at this week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, reflected on his time with LIV Golf positively, but he admitted he did not like the direction the new iteration of the league was heading in, and in the end, it was not much of a “consideration” on whether to stay.
For Rahm, a move away from the team golf element was a big factor.
“Well, I would say I can only reflect on those three years as a positive. It was a wonderful experience; I played a lot of good golf, obviously, individually and as a team. We did great,” he added.
“Why did I reject the terms? As much as I liked the project and the idea on, let’s say, LIV 1.0, I wasn’t thrilled with the changes they were doing to 2.0, and I just wasn’t willing to follow that path.
“It wasn’t anything special, anything that stood out. I didn’t like what they were going with 2.0.
“There were too many unknowns at the time, and there’s still quite a few.
“It seemed like it was going a bit away from team golf and some of the things that made LIV. It just became more of a regular tour.
“It wasn’t really ever much of a consideration, to be honest.”
Who will win the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship? Watch all four rounds live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the first round commencing on Thursday, November 5, from 4am on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf. Get the latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract
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