The 10th event of the 2026 LIV golf season will feature Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and the rest of the league’s strongest players in the annual event held in England following the British Open Championship. With just two individual tournaments and a team championship remaining on the schedule, the future of LIV Golf and its top stars has become a bigger topic of conversation as a league. The end of funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is rapidly approaching.
Rahm and DeChambeau are both dealing with uncertainty about the circuit’s future, but are in different positions regarding their contract situations. DeChambeau is scheduled to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season, while Rahm is under contract through 2027. However, it is not clear whether LIV has the funds to meet the terms of the contract next year.
Rahm spoke at length about his future Tuesday at CB Golf & Country Club. When asked if he could share any light on the future of himself or LIV Golf as a whole, the Spaniard was understandably modest.
“Well, we’re in contact with them,” Rahm said. “We know a lot about what’s going on, and we can’t share it with you right now.”
Perhaps the most memorable part of this exchange: Rahm literally parried the question of whether he would play LIV Golf in 2027.
Further increasing interest in LIV’s future, on Tuesday the Asian Tour, previously affiliated with LIV Golf, announced that Reached new agreement with partner The DP World Tour has severed ties with the PGA Tour. The Asian Tour was central to LIV Golf’s plans, providing a feeder system for LIV Golf as well as a place for golfers to play during their off weeks if they so desired. Losing the partnership with the PGA Tour was heartbreaking, and LIV Golf was reportedly blindsided by the decision.
Rahm’s comments are in line with how he has spoken about LIV Golf and his future since rumors began circulating that PIF was ceasing funding. Rahm is taking a hands-off approach and seems comfortable waiting to see what LIV Golf can piece together in terms of funding and plans for 2027 and then decide how, or if, he fits into those plans. His line about being optimistic — “I’m always optimistic. I mean, I play games for a living. I don’t get too upset about how things are going in my life” — is an example of that approach.
Rahm is one of the few people at LIV Golf who can think calmly about the future. There really isn’t a worst-case scenario for Rahm. Either LIV Golf finds the money and gets his contractual allocation next year and will receive close to $80 million, or the two companies mutually agree to let him become a free agent and he goes to the PGA Tour and they try to work out a deal similar to the one Brooks Koepka signed for his return.
Despite having a mediocre season in the majors with only one top-10 finish (T2 at the PGA Championship), Rahm is still a big enough star that he is a legitimate contender in tournaments. The PGA Tour will likely be willing to make some kind of deal to bring him back, even if it’s not as friendly as the offer Koepka extended when he returned earlier this year.
In the meantime, Rahm won’t commit to anything because he knows the worst thing he can do now is say something he’ll have to come back to later. He learned that lesson years ago when he pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour, only to find himself competing in LIV Golf soon after.
