03 January 2024 , 14:33
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Rory McIlroy believes Jon Rahm's mega-money move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf was a 'smart business decision', with a merger between the two circuits looming.
Rahm became LIV's biggest coup yet, after the Masters champion signed a reported £450million deal with the Saudi-funded league last month. Rahm's decision to make the switch did come as a surprise to many, having previously pledged his loyalties to the PGA Tour.
The move will have been a tough one to swallow for his Ryder Cup teammate McIlroy, who has announced himself as one of the breakaway league's biggest critics since its inception in June 2022.
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But, with the PGA Tour and LIV setup set to finally end their dispute this year via a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, McIlroy believes Rahm's decision to switch was a clever one. He told the Stick to Football Podcast: "Jon is a smart guy.
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"I think he sees things coming together at some point so he’s thinking that he’ll take the upfront money, which is his prerogative, and if things come together, he’ll play LIV for a year then come back to play on the tour and play some team golf."
“I thought it was a smart business move from Jon – it’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together and he’s in a lucky position." One of the biggest question marks surrounding Rahm's future was what it would mean for his Ryder Cup status, after a number of LIV stars opted to give up their DP World Tour membership and thus their Team Europe eligibility.
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Rory McIlroy played alongside Jon Rahm in RomeAnd after Europe's dominant Ryder Cup win last October, it appeared it was of no concern of McIlroy's who claimed the European setup did not miss the likes of Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia. With Rahm being key to the win in Rome though, the Northern Irishman believes his teammate will have to be included for their title defence on American soil next year.
"There’s not one person that wouldn’t want him on our Ryder Cup team because of how good he is," McIlroy added. "So he was in a great position where there wasn’t a ton of risk involved for him to go, but I’ve got no problem with going if that’s what he wants to do and he thinks that’s the right decision for him and his family, then who am I to say any different at this point.”
On the back of the Spaniard's Saudi switch last month, McIlroy had called on a change of the rules to the Ryder Cup qualification process in order to include Rahm in 2025. As things stands though the Masters champion is still eligible to compete, and has reiterated he has no plans on giving up his DP World Tour membership and Team Europe playing rights.