Jon Rahm Will Not Join LIV 2.0, His Lawyer Tells Bankruptcy Court

Since LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 in New Jersey in September and landed a possible $300 million financing package from BC Partners Credit, the open question has been which stars would sign up for 2027. Wednesday gave a first big answer, and it was a no.

Jon Rahm's attorney, John Beck, told the bankruptcy hearing that the 31-year-old "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 is a former world No. 1, a two-time major winner and the three-time reigning LIV season champion. He won the most recent title in August.

A separation deal, with two different target dates

LIV and Rahm's representatives are in "advanced discussions for a consensual separation agreement," the court heard. Nothing is signed.

The timing is reported two ways. One account has the goal of finalizing it by the November 5 court hearing. Another, from The Athletic via Beck's remarks, puts the target at October 15. Both dates are in play.

LIV and Rahm's agent had not responded to Reuters requests for confirmation as of Wednesday.

The money

Court documents list Rahm as the largest player among LIV's 30 biggest unsecured creditors, with a claim of $7.5 million. LIV participants as a group are owed at least $45 million.

The larger figure is a different matter. Sky Sports News and The Guardian report Rahm could be owed up to $150 million on the remainder of the contract he signed almost three years ago. That number is a media report, not a court-listed claim. Reported values of the original December 2023 deal range from $300 million to $350 million.

BBC Sport understands players have no obligation to sign on to LIV 2.0, even if they held multi-year LIV contracts.

Why Rahm is treated differently from Garcia

Sergio Garcia and other players asked the court to lift the automatic stay on their LIV contracts. That effectively freed them to look elsewhere for 2027. Rahm was not given the same release, which is why a negotiated separation is needed.

The league's lifeline is not yet secure. The BC Partners financing is subject to bankruptcy court approval and customary conditions. LIV hopes to finish restructuring in early 2027.

BC Partners chief Ted Goldthorpe struck an upbeat tone at a London conference, according to Golf Digest. "We're all systems go," he said. "The next 22 days is going to be about signing up the players, but again, I feel very, very good about that." Golf Digest also reported an initial $4 million investment.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which spent $5 billion over four years before pulling its support, has a different read. Golf Digest reports the PIF has suggested BC Partners may want LIV mainly for tax write-off purposes rather than to run a league. That is the PIF's characterization. BC Partners has described the deal as a step toward relaunching the circuit.

Where Rahm can play

Rahm's options are narrower than they look. In May he settled a dispute with the DP World Tour by paying about £2.21 million in fines for playing events that clashed with its schedule. That secured conditional releases for 2026 and keeps him eligible for next year's Ryder Cup.

He did not take the one-time PGA Tour return program offered to him, Cam Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. Only Koepka accepted. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has said the tour will not revive that program now that the PIF has stopped funding LIV.

Without it, Rahm would face a mandatory one-year suspension, running to late August next year, before returning to the American circuit.

Rahm withdrew from this week's Open de España in Madrid to stay home. His wife, Kelley, is expecting their fourth child.

What is still unknown

Golf Magic reports that Rahm's Legion XIII and Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton could also leave. There is no confirmation Hatton has made a decision.

Rahm has said previously that he had no regrets about joining LIV and backed organizers to make it sustainable. He has not publicly explained which terms of LIV 2.0 were the problem.

The next dates are fixed. A separation deal could land by October 15. LIV's exclusive window to negotiate with players closes October 25. The court returns November 5, when the Rahm agreement and the financing both face scrutiny.