Bubba Watson hints LIV Golf could give into Jon Rahm demands after £450m move
Bubba Watson has revealed LIV Golf could switch up their format in the coming years, after new signing Jon Rahm called on the breakaway league to make changes to the way they operate on the back of his recent move.
Rahm made LIV Golf history last week, becoming the Saudi-backed league's highest paid player, after reportedly signing a £450 million with the circuit. The move came as a shock to many, after the Masters champion had rubbished his chances of ever making the Saudi switch on a number of occasions.
The biggest hurdle Rahm referenced when declaring his lack of interest in the LIV league was the circuit's format, which sees each event played over 54 holes, with a shotgun start and no cut line.
READ MORE: LIV Golf champion disagrees with Jon Rahm over format demand after £450m PGA Tour exit
On the back of his move though the Spaniard did admit he would be calling on the league's bosses to make some changes further down the line. “For all those things I like about this movement, there are always going to be things that are not perfect. That’s something I can live with," he admitted last week.
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"It’s an ever-growing and ever-changing machine. I hope the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to my advice and see some changes in the future that are better for the future of the game.” And it appears Rahm may well get his way, with fellow LIV star and Masters champion Watson also more than an open to the idea.
Speaking about potential changes to the Fore Play Podcast, Watson said: "The league was started from scratch, we can do what we want." With negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), it remains to be seen what the future holds for the LIV setup, and professional golf as a whole.
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Bubba Watson believes LIV can change its ways (AP)There are hopes that a merger between the two rival tours will come out of the pending framework agreement, allowing players from both to compete across the two as they please. Arguably LIV's biggest success since its inception last summer has been the team aspect to its competition.
As a result, Watson believes that the end goal for the Saudi-backed series is to be a team-only circuit. "The long-term vision is going all-team, and then you can do some fun events like that, where it's two on two, it's maybe an alternate shot, and maybe scrambled, whatever, right? because it's open air."
There maybe some obstacles for new man Rahm to overcome though, if the league is to move away from its 54-hole plan. LIV's 2023 individual champion Talor Gooch appears to oppose the idea, with the American claiming that the three-round events are integral to the breakaway circuit's brand.
“We haven’t had an open forum discussion with all the players, but you get both sides,” Gooch told Golf Digest in regard to a potential format change. “Guys who would welcome (changing to 72 holes) and some guys who are opposed to it.
“Discussions will be had and it’ll be interesting to see what comes of it. I think LIV Golf was meant to be something different. I think it’s not supposed to be a carbon copy of the rest of professional golf. I lean towards keeping it at 54 holes. Part of it, too, from my experience on the PGA Tour, was Thursdays are just irrelevant from a fan perspective (except for) only a couple times a year.”
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