Jon Rahm's LIV decision taught him something. That secret might show the future

Ever since his LIV switch, Rahm has shown himself to be the ultimate dichotomy. It’s an inner contrast that could very well come to define this era of pro golf. He pledged his “fealty” to the PGA Tour and said “$400 million” wouldn’t “change” his life. Then he left for LIV and admitted the money was a factor in deciding to “create” a new legacy. He’s a two-time major winner who believes he is “unfairly” judged for his major record. He lives for the Ryder Cup but risked sacrificing that to join LIV Golf. He’s a historian of the game whose appreciation for golf’s traditions equaled his world-beating talent. He’s also the man who left all that behind to play 54-hole [now 72-hole] shotgun starts. He’s thoughtful and introspective in a world that is often shallow and full of privilege. That made him different. It’s also why his LIV move was a shock to the system.

On Tuesday, as LIV Golf tries to find a way to extend its life past this season, Rahm was confronted with that initial choice — one that appeared to be antithetical to who he had shown himself to be.

“We all go back. We all think what could have been and what couldn’t have been. It’s inevitable,” Rahm said. “Whatever decision you’ve made or choice is thought through and made for the reasons that you think are proper reasons, there’s no sense in dwelling on it. In fact, you shouldn’t really be unhappy about it. At least there’s nothing that you regret.

“If the terms change afterward, like it’s happened with LIV, that things changed a little bit, it’s an afterthought, not a problem from the choice.”

News

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks on while playing the eighth hole during the final round of the Truist Championship 2026 at Quail Hollow

That choice has seen Rahm arrive at the majors surrounded by uncertainty. He wasn’t a factor in any of the 2024 majors. After a non-competitive, backdoor top-10 at the 2025 Masters, the noise around Rahm, his decision to join LIV and how it has affected his game grew louder. He heard it. He read it. Then came last year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where Rahm mounted a Sunday charge to tie Scottie Scheffler on the back nine before falling apart on the Green Mile. Despite the collapse, Rahm described that Sunday as the “most fun” he had had on a golf course in a long time.

That was the product of being in true major championship contention again, the adrenaline that comes from being on the precipice of a lifelong goal and learning that things are not always as they seem — an almost daily lesson in pro golf’s current universe.

“It was really fun to be out there in the landscape nowadays, in which as players in LIV we hear a lot of things from articles, from social media, from comments,” Rahm said at Aronimink. “While I understand why things are being said, it’s something you have to deal with. That Sunday, playing against Scottie, that has the lead, and to feel the support and love from the crowd is what made it really enjoyable. To realize that sometimes the truth is very different from what [is] made up to be. … It was a realization of having such support from the crowd and playing good golf that made me realize in a way how I’m truly perceived from the public, as opposed to what I read sometimes.”

Perhaps it was also a reminder of what life was like — and could’ve continued to be — had a different road been traversed. Had Rahm’s choices not led him to a place he admits has been filled with lessons.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and all we can do is learn from things that happen in the past good and bad,” Rahm said. “Just to speculate on what could have done, what could have been different doesn’t really make much sense.”

In the end, your life is the sum of your choices. Every decision has ramifications. The big ones lead to growth. Rahm said 2025 was a year of doing that, both on and off the course. They also teach you about yourself. Rahm is no different. That life-changing, career-defining choice left a mark; what it was remains to be seen.

“That’s for me to know, and that’s that,” Rahm said, smiling, when asked what he had learned looking back on his initial LIV decision.

Perhaps one day — and maybe even Sunday, with him holding the Wanamaker Trophy — Jon Rahm will reveal his secret, and we can all start wondering about what’s next, instead of what could’ve been.

The post Jon Rahm’s LIV decision taught him something. That secret might show the future appeared first on Golf.