Rory McIlroy has reportedly admitted he would be "very, very surprised" if friend and fellow Ryder Cup hero Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour to sign up for the LIV Golf League.
Despite being a PGA Tour stalwart and a fierce believer in playing for legacy, rumors - albeit nothing substantial - of a potential switch by Rahm had been bubbling on social media after the Spaniard recently pulled out of the upcoming TGL, the brainchild of McIlroy and Tiger Woods, citing an inability to provide the level of commitment necessary to regularly take part.
Rahm posted on social media that he was "sad to confirm" the news after he had been removed from the Players section on the TGL website.
I am sad to confirm that I will not be participating in the first TGL season. While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer. Best of luck to everyone envolved and may the best team win!November 2, 2023
In the period that followed, social media was awash with conspiracy theorists who suggested the current Masters champion was considering cashing in and joining the breakaway league.
PGA Tour veteran Hunter Mahan dismissed those thoughts by pointing to the significant amount of travel Rahm would have to undertake while leaving his young family behind for longer periods in the process. Rahm lives in Arizona and the TGL is taking place each week in Florida at the SoFi Center.
Meanwhile, DP World Tour pro Eddie Pepperell said on his podcast 'The Chipping Forecast' that he had heard LIV were indeed looking to bring the Spaniard across but that the "prohibitively large" figure that Rahm had quoted saw him priced out.
And speaking to CNBC on Monday - primarily promoting the aforementioned TGL and his new Boston Common Golf Club team - McIlroy revealed he had recently chatted with Rahm and also felt the two-time Major winner was highly unlikely to play anywhere else.
Regarding Rahm's future, McIlroy said per Golf podcaster and CBS Sports' Rick Gehman: "I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very very surprised if that were to happen... I'm pretty confident Jon is a PGA TOUR player."
"I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very very surprised if that were to happen (Rahm to LIV)... I'm pretty confident Jon is a PGA TOUR player."- Rory McIlroy on Rahm to LIV rumors.November 6, 2023
Ahead of the 151st Open, Rahm praised the PGA Tour after being asked about whether he and his peers should be in for compensation for not joining LIV Golf following the news of the 'merger'.
"It was my choice to stay. Do I think they absolutely should be and there must be a compensation? No. I just stayed because I think it's the best choice for myself and for the golf I want to play," the two-time Major winner said in his press conference at Royal Liverpool.
"Now, with that said, if they want to do it, I'm not going to say no. We all had the chance to go to LIV and take the money and we chose to stay at the PGA Tour for whatever reason we chose. As I've said before, I already make an amazing living doing what I do.
"I'm extremely thankful, and that all happened because of the platform the PGA Tour provided me. As far as I'm concerned they've done enough for me, and their focus should be on improving the PGA Tour and the game of golf for the future generations."
