Jon Rahm was ahead of the curve, if you will.
Even before LIV Golf totally burned to the ground, Rahm was on his way out. He had already announced he wouldn’t play on the upstart tour in 2027.
That can conceptually accelerate Rahm’s return to the PGA Tour, but not entirely. The fact that LIV Golf has filed for bankruptcy and shut down its competition doesn’t allow Rahm, or any of his competitors, to return immediately to the PGA Tour.
Some, like Bryson DeChambeau, might have uncertain futures — you can read more about that at this link.
Rahm, though, seems to have a more straightforward path ahead, even if it doesn’t lead directly to the PGA Tour.
Jon Rahm Suspension
Rahm can’t return to the PGA Tour right away, at least based on how the current rules are written.
He’s facing a one-year suspension.
The Athletic’s Brody Miller and Gabby Herzig spelled that out in a new article on Thursday like this:
The precedent for former LIV golfers is a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour, beginning at the last LIV tournament they played. For Rahm and other players who have announced their intention to leave LIV, it would make them eligible on Aug. 24, 2027.
We saw the one-year rule play out over the past year with Patrick Reed, who left LIV in January and competed on the DP World Tour for the remainder of the season. Viewers will see Reed regularly playing on the PGA Tour in 2027, because he earned enough points on the European-based circuit to snag one of the 10 PGA Tour cards offered each year to the best DP World Tour players not otherwise exempt.
Additionally, the PGA Tour has said it will not engage in conversations with former LIV golfers until they provide proof that they are free from any contractual obligations to LIV. In Reed’s case, he willingly chose not to re-sign with LIV, making him available to have those discussions.
Reed was even more ahead of the curve, if we use that term again. Whether it’s because Reed saw the end coming or simply wanted to leave LIV Golf, the timeline has worked out a bit better for him.
Jon Rahm Plans
Rahm is expected to play on the DP World Tour — which used to be known as the European Tour.
“The primary focus will be the DP World Tour,” Miller and Herzig wrote. “It has become a secondary circuit to the PGA Tour over the past two decades, but it may experience a new boom in 2027. Many top LIV golfers like Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, David Puig and Tom McKibbin have maintained DP membership throughout their LIV careers and would play a full DP World Tour season in 2027. That will be especially important as they try to play in the 2027 Ryder Cup, since the European team is run by the DPWT.”
Jon Rahm’s Plans Seem Clear After LIV Golf News