Padraig Harrington believes LIV Golf’s big-money move for Jon Rahm was “well worth" the eye-watering fee.
Rahm signed with LIV Golf last December for a reported deal north of $500 million in one of the most lucrative sports contracts of all time. There's no denying that it was a major coup for the Saudi-backed circuit, with the World No.3 going back on his previous comments proclaiming fealty to the PGA Tour.
Despite the massive figure, Harrington says the deal was worth every penny for LIV. "(Rahm) is the biggest player (LIV Golf) have got, the biggest shift,” he told The Mirror.
“They didn’t overpay for Jon Rahm because it was seismic the shift in people's opinion with him going. You could argue other players, but Rahm said he wasn’t going and he is a stalwart.
"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."
Rahm was, of course, not the first PGA Tour star to make the switch to LIV, with Major winners Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson among the big names who also defected for lucrative deals.
Harrington says Rahm’s move has now created an environment where LIV’s current and future signings could demand even more.
"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," Harrington said. "They are going to renegotiate every three years for the players that are there, they haven't bought them for life."
The prolonged negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, has left the future of LIV – and the state of men’s professional golf in general – in a cloud of uncertainty.
While there is hope that a deal will be done within the next few months, Harrington says the best way to finally bring about an agreement would be the introduction of an independent adjudicator from outside of golf.
"Somebody independent needs to set down the rules. It is going to be hard for the two sides to negotiate themselves because they are both bias. There must be somebody in sport who has nothing to do with golf who will go, 'right this is what you are going to do'."
