Less than three years ago, Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. At the time, he was the reigning Masters champion and the No. 3-ranked player in the world. His move represented a major coup for the emerging league, which was offering players enormous sums to leave the PGA Tour. In Rahm’s case, LIV reportedly promised him $300 million.
Rahm quickly established himself as one of LIV Golf’s leading players. However, his financial future with the league became uncertain after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced that it would stop funding LIV after the 2026 season. LIV subsequently laid off most of its staff and filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about whether players will receive everything they were promised. Rahm could face the largest shortfall of them all.
Rahm is LIV’s biggest player creditor, with the league owing him $7.5 million in missed payments so far. The potential loss extends well beyond that amount: His original contract reportedly included several remaining years and $100 million in guaranteed compensation. That money is now in doubt after Rahm decided not to continue with LIV.
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The first era of LIV Golf effectively ended when the PIF withdrew its support. Although league officials say LIV 2.0 is being developed, the proposed relaunch has already faced resistance from some of the sport’s biggest names.
Rahm’s attorney, John Beck, confirmed that his client will not return to LIV after this season, describing the terms of the proposed agreement as “unacceptable.”
“Mr. Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 … and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0.”
Rahm’s net worth is currently estimated at about $250 million. Even for someone with a quarter-billion-dollar fortune, losing more than $100 million in potential compensation would be a significant financial blow.
Rahm is not the only prominent player waiting on money from LIV Golf. The league’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing lists 14 golfers among its 30 largest unsecured creditors.
The group includes several of LIV’s best-known players. The league reportedly owes Bryson DeChambeau $5.77 million, Dustin Johnson $5.49 million, Cameron Smith $4.84 million and Adrian Meronk $4.44 million, among others.
Some of those golfers could return if a new version of LIV Golf launches next year. Still, the league increasingly appears likely to leave millions of dollars in unpaid obligations to players who may never compete under its banner again.
