Rahmbo: First Blood

Jon Rahm has defected from the PGA TOUR and is about to start “Living the LIV Life”. In a move that took some golf fans and media by surprise, Rahm signed a contract with the Saudi-backed golf league. However, it’s no surprise at all.During the course of the 2023 PGA TOUR season on more than one occasion he made comments that were pro-LIV. At the very least his comments could be best-described as diplomatic.

To say that the deal is lucrative is almost like saying that Secretariat was an okay horse. While the exact figures are a little unclear it is said to be in the $400M to $600M area. An obscene amount that – at the moment – is only bested by MLB’s Shohei Ohtani. The slugger signed with the LA Dodgers on the same weekend.

Of course, there are golf fans who hate the move and the range of emotions has been nothing short of Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Adjectives including the likes of traitor, hypocrite, and heel. The amount of ugly bitterness towards Rahm or anybody else playing in the alternative golf tour is for me anyways, hard to fathom.

I understand the passion and emotions that golfers have for the game. After all, it’s why I do what I do. My life over the last decade plus has consisted of family (including my dogs of course), fly fishing, and golf. I work in the industry and I teach the game. But, what professional golfers do in their lives – be it personal or business – has nothing to do with me. I certainly don’t lose any sleep about the actions of Tiger, Rory, Rahm, or anything else golf-related for that matter. 

The rhetoric regarding LIV Golf has been the same and as far as this writer is concerned, it has gotten old and stale. Blood money and bonesaws. Any golfer that signs with LIV is a bad person. Granted, to be fair, there are a number of guys out there that I’ve never liked or they’ve had their transgressions that I don’t approve of. Poulter, Garcia, DJ, and Patrick Reed are the first players that come to mind.Role models? A noble yet overrated term to describe somebody that doesn’t apply to the aforementioned.

Role models. There’s a concept and in some way, romantic. Out of those that have played or currently play on ANY professional golf tour, how many had “to be a role model” as their reason for playing the game professionally? I stand to believe that the number would be astronomically low. How many of these players are doing so “for the love of the game”? Making $17 CAD per hour getting treated like a piece of trash in a Pro Shop. That’s love of the game. Then there’s legacy.

Legacy. Rahm’s switch to LIV Golf will ruin his legacy. Maybe some of our favourite professional golfers DO play the game with Major’s and thoughts of building legacies for themselves. Once you win anywhere nobody can take that away from you. If it were me, taking care of my family is a legacy worth working towards. Ensuring that future generations will be taken care of. That too, is a legacy. Rahm has been quoted saying that he doesn’t need the money but his move and the contract that he signed will definitely be enough to take care of generations of his offspring and any charitable foundations that he’s associated with. Rahm is a known philanthropist.

When push comes to shove golf – at the professional level –  is strictly business. The decision to move over to LIV was not only a professional decision but a decision that is more business than anything else. It’s smart business and seeing that he’s an adult that’s fully capable of making decisions, he’s earned that right. While he doesn’t get into LIV at ground zero he gets into it before any potential merger between the PGA TOUR and its less-affable competitor. 

I’ll be honest. In the interest of full-disclosure I’d leave for the money too.

 As someone that has a household income of just a shade over $2000 CAD per month (rent alone is $1800) if LIV came to me with a job offer of say $75000 or even $50000 (for that matter) to write articles, snap pictures, and do social media posts I’d take the money in a second. We’d be able to survive and dare I say have savings. So $500M? Rahm didn’t and nor would I turn that money down.

Rahm is the first big domino to fall. There will be more as LIV Golf gains more traction and looks to be increasingly sustainable. Who’s next?

It’s not personal… It’s just business.

Until The Next Tee!!