Jon Rahm to LIV Golf: Spaniard's career earnings, worth of LIV contract as Masters champion makes switch

Masters champion and Ryder Cup winner Jon Rahm has performed a huge U-turn to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, with the world number three's departure from the PGA Tour confirmed on Thursday night.

The LIV Golf Series held its inaugural season in 2021, when Rahm ruled himself out of joining the tour. He joins other major winners at LIV with Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson already making the switch. LIV Golf has just 48 players, with all of them split into 12 teams of four as players compete for individual and team points, as well as prize money. Rahm previously said the format was not appealing.

"As you can see now it's official. This is me finally saying after all the rumours, some of them were true, and I am officially joining LIV Golf," Rahm, 29, told Fox News. "It's not an easy decision. I've had a very successful career and I'm happy. There are a lot of things that LIV Golf have to offer which were very enticing, starting with team golf."

How much is Rahm being paid?

Rahm, who played a key role in Europe's Ryder Cup triumph earlier this year, is reportedly set to earn around £450m. However, he said he was unable to comment on his salary as it was private.

He said: "I play golf for the love of the game and for the love of golf. I'm an ambitious person but I'm not a greedy one. But as a husband, as a father and as a family man I have a duty to them to give them the most amount of opportunities and the most amount of resources possible.

"Obviously, [money] is a factor and it's an important one in this decision. The love of the game and wanting to grow it in a global market. Being part of the team. Being a captain. Hopefully being a leader to team-mates. It makes me want to work harder than I have done now to actually prove myself.

"Hopefully some time in the future some kids in Spain will want to be part of this team that I am going to build. Hopefully it's something that I am related to for a very long time. Hopefully until the day I die. And I can make it something very special."

What are Rahm's career earnings so far?

Rahm earned $16,522,608 with the PGA Tour between 2022-23. Only Scottie Scheffler collected more winnings as he banked $21,014,342. Over the course of his career with the PGA Tour, Rahm has won $51,546,651 in prize money. If the reports of his LIV salary are accurate, he is set to earn more than 10 times his PGA career earnings following his move to the Saudi-backed series.

Speaking in 2022, Rahm stated: "Money is great, but when [my wife] Kelley and I started talking about it, we're like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400m? No, it will not change one bit.

"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."

What implications does this have for the PGA Tour?

It remains to be seen what implications Rahm's switch will have for professional golf, with his move undoubtedly LIV's biggest coup since their launch. In June, The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf agreed to merge commercial operations under common ownership. The shock announcement came after a year of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

Speaking further on his move to LIV, Rahm said: "I found a great platform on the PGA Tour and I am forever grateful for the platform they have given me. If I'm lucky and things go well in the future, I still want to be part of that platform. LIV Golf gives me the freedom to play golf when it doesn't conflict with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour and I certainly want to be part of that in the future."