It does not appear as though Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm are going to be grabbing coffee together anytime soon. During a February 25, 2024 interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith, Rahm revealed that he has not heard from Woods since making his decision to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
This is in stark contrast to Rory McIlroy who has been privately supportive to Rahm. Woods and McIlroy have been some of the most notable golfers who have been outspoken against LIV.
“Rory has been supportive publicly of my decision, and he was privately as well,” Rahm detailed. “Tiger, no not really. Tiger, I texted him and the people that [tried] to reach out throughout the process when I signed. And I just let him know, ‘Hey, you know, this is a personal decision. I have nothing against anybody.’
Jon Rahm’s Deal With LIV Golf Is Worth More Than $300 Million: Report
Like Woods and McIlroy, Rahm had previously been among the golfers who publicly committed to remaining on the PGA Tour. The circumstances clearly changed after the PGA Tour partnered with LIV Golf. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reported that Rahm’s deal with LIV Golf is worth more than $300 million.
“For more than a year, Rahm had voiced his dislike of LIV Golf’s 54-hole tournaments, no cuts and shotgun starts, saying he preferred to remain with the PGA Tour, where legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods had played before him,” Schlabach detailed in a December 7, 2023 story titled, “Jon Rahm leaves PGA Tour for LIV Golf, accepts fans’ backlash.”
“In the end, Rahm, a 29-year-old native of Spain, couldn’t pass up a multiyear contract that is worth more than $300 million, according to sources, and includes partial ownership of his new LIV Golf team. Sources told ESPN that LIV Golf is recruiting other PGA Tour players to join Rahm’s team; he declined to name whom they might be.”
Tiger Woods on Jon Rahm Joining LIV Golf: ‘It Was Speculation Until It Happened’
Woods spoke briefly about Rahm’s departure in the days following the initial news. The legendary golfer hinted that he was a bit skeptical about the LIV rumors until it actually happened.
“There’s been a lot of talk over the years of certain players going [LIV Golf], and it was speculation until it happened because there’s been rumors of names going and not going, and whether they materialized or not,” Woods said in December 2023, per Golf Channel. “We assumed it was just speculation until it happened.”
The Netflix Show ‘Full Swing’ Shows Behind-the-Scenes Details of the PGA Tour & LIV Golf Merger
Fans interested in the ongoing drama should check out the Netflix show “Full Swing.” Season two shows behind-the-scenes footage as some of the top golfers found out about the news of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger.
The latest season of the popular Netflix docu-series was released on March 6. This season features star golfers like McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler.
