Golfer Jon Rahm provided a thorough and impassioned defense of the PGA Tour during Tuesday’s press conference leading up to the 2022 U.S. Open.
Discussing the topic of players leaving to join the LIV Golf Series, Rahm said his “heart is with the PGA Tour” and he doesn’t plan to defect.
“Money is great, but when [my 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, via ESPN. “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, the defending U.S. Open champion, is the latest prominent PGA Tour pro to speak out in defense of the organization, joining Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.
His words were music to the ears of a lot of golf fans, and likely were to PGA Tour executives as well.
If we’re being honest, Rahm, Thomas and McIlroy have spoken more assertively and eloquently about the benefits of the PGA Tour than commissioner Jay Monahan did when he appeared on CBS during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday.
There will likely be more players jumping to the LIV tour in the coming weeks, but Rahm definitely does not seem like he’ll be one of them.