Jon Rahm now has a perfect opportunity to prove a point over the reasons he gave for joining LIV Golf

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“I think the innovation and the vision of LIV Golf is what pushed me over to at least give it a chance and hear the pitch out. Ultimately, it ended up being what I guess I wanted to hear. I believe in the growth of the game of golf. I’ve largely spoken about how Seve improved the game of golf in Spain and how I would like to do the same thing over there. If I can reach a bigger audience there, it would be amazing. I do believe this process will help me do that,” he said.

“Even though it’s not a part of this sport, it is now, it’s the team aspect of things. Some of the biggest sporting events for the most part, people are following their teams. I myself growing up being a massive Athletic Bilbao fan, I realise that has a bit of an appeal, much more than I give credit to.”

Rahm’s decision could silence a lot of speculation about how much players care about LIV Golf

It has always been difficult to know just how genuine LIV golfers are being when they heap praise on the league. Many will have seen Graeme McDowell produce one of the most laughable comments in LIV history this week when discussing Smash’s rebrand to OKGC.

Some of the players clearly feel obliged to defend LIV at every opportunity. They bizarrely see themselves as some sort of underdog when it is surely the case that most would not have looked twice at signing had it not been for the astronomical riches on offer.

But the issue with that is it is nearly impossible to decipher what is true praise and what is bluster simply for the benefit of those who criticise the league.

Rahm has the chance to prove that the money was indeed not the main reason that he decided to sign with LIV. If he has a true belief in the league’s potential, he will surely follow DeChambeau’s lead and make sure that they look after the younger players who made a much riskier move.

The likes of Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood can continue to bang the drum for LIV. Their days of playing on the PGA Tour are surely over now, whatever happens next.

But Rahm could be about to face a decision that defines his career.

If he truly believed everything he said about LIV back in 2023, that decision is going to be a lot harder than many would think.