The worst kept secret in golf is finally out. Jon Rahm has turned his back on the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf, signing a contract thought to be worth as much as £450m with the Saudi league. Fervid rumours had been allowed to grow and spread for weeks, unanswered by Rahm or his camp, and the silence was deafening, so it was no great surprise when LIV finally announced its biggest coup yet, a signing bigger even than poaching Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka or Cameron Smith.
It is an aggressive move, and a seismic moment for the game. Rahm is the first European giant to go. He is the reigning Masters champion and among the four best players in the world. He was the Saudis’ top realistic target, given how vigorously Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy had denigrated LIV and ruled themselves out of a move.
