As the countdown for the 2024 LIV Golf begins, the fans are eager to see the participation of Jon Rahm. The 29-year-old shocked the world with his mega $600 million move. While some have attacked him for this, Irish golfer Padraig Harrington has supported this decision.
The European stalwart thinks that the money LIV Golf spent on Rahm was “well worth it“. In December 2023, Rahm became another major champion to join the breakaway tour and joined in the footsteps of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson.
The money involved in the Rahm deal was huge and is reported to be one of the most lucrative contracts of all time. Harrington, a six-time PGA Tour winner labeled this move as the ‘biggest shift‘ for LIV Golf.
This [the signing of Rahm] is the biggest player [LIV Golf] have got, the biggest shift. He might not be world No. 1, but he looks like he is going to be a top two or three player for the next 10 years. Whatever they paid for him it was well worth it.
Padraig Harrington on Jon Rahm’s deal through The Mirror.
Though the 52-year-old veteran golfer applauded this deal, he further claimed that there could be some consequences of it down the road.
Padraig Harrington points out one major implication that could affect LIV Golf following Jon Rahm’s deal
The move of Jon Rahm from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been the talking point. The current World No. 3 joined the breakaway tour in December. Since his move, there have been a lot of conversations about how his move could help bring the two sets of players back together. Padraig Harrington though has pointed out one major implication that his move could have.
As per Harrington, Rahm’s £450 million ($600 m) deal could lead to players asking for more money in the future. This could see the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed tour spend huge sums on players.
The interesting thing for me is that it sets a very high anchor price for future players, and current players who are going to renegotiate. They are going to renegotiate every three years for the players that are there. Padraig Harrington on problems LIV Golf could face as per The Mirror.
Whether Harrington’s point becomes an issue for the 54-hole circuit remains to be seen. This is because of the ongoing merger talks, whose deadline has been extended. If the two tours are able to come to an agreement, a potential shift in golf could see them working together while players could be allowed to play on the tour of their choosing.
More must-reads: