Former PGA Tour Winner Criticizes Jon Rahm’s Remarks Following LIV Golf Move
Joe Ogilvie Slams Jon Rahm: “Your Comments Were Shocking”
Former PGA Tour Winner Criticizes Jon Rahm’s Remarks Following LIV Golf Move
In a candid and explosive interview with Golfweek, former PGA Tour winner and policy board member Joe Ogilvie expressed his disbelief over Jon Rahm’s comments after the golfer’s high-profile switch to LIV Golf. Rahm, who made the controversial move on December 8, 2023, for a staggering £450 million ($566.4 million), had suggested that his transition could catalyze a peace deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed league. Ogilvie, however, found Rahm’s statements hard to swallow.
Jon Rahm’s decision to join LIV Golf was undoubtedly influenced by his recent achievements, including a Masters victory that secured him a lifetime of starts at Augusta National, along with five-year exemptions into the U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Despite these assurances, Rahm’s switch came amidst ongoing tension between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which had reached a ‘framework agreement’ only six months prior.
In his defense, Rahm listed several reasons for joining LIV Golf, asserting that his move would help expedite a resolution between the two tours. “I understood my position,” Rahm told BBC Sport. “And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement… Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement. But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”
Ogilvie, however, was less than convinced. “It was certainly shocking,” he said. “It was a negotiating tactic to take a player like Jon, and for Jon to go. That was definitely a shot across the bow.”
Rahm’s transition did not sit well with everyone. He revealed that some PGA Tour players, including the legendary Tiger Woods, had ghosted him following his decision. This cold shoulder extended beyond Rahm; Woods had previously distanced himself from Bryson DeChambeau when he made his own controversial decisions under the banner of growing the game. At Augusta National, during the first men’s major of the year, Rahm even noted that one player “refused to even look at me.”
Rahm’s switch to LIV Golf has undeniably stirred the golfing community. Whether his move will indeed expedite a peace deal remains uncertain, but it has undoubtedly spotlighted the ongoing friction and complex negotiations within the sport. As the golfing world watches closely, the impacts of Rahm’s decision and his future performances in both LIV and traditional tours will be scrutinized with great interest.