Rory McIlroy has expressed surprise at speculation linking two-time major winner Jon Rahm with a near billion-dollar move to LIV Golf.
Noted “salesman” Phil Mickelson has reportedly been saying Rahm signing with the Saudi-backed breakaway league was a “done deal,” according to American golf journalist Alan Shipnuck.
Shipnuck’s social media post on Wednesday follows rumours Rahm was set to leave the PGA Tour for a $US600 million ($A915 million) offer from LIV.
“In recent days Phil has been telling folks that Rahm signing with LIV is a done deal. (They share the same agent.),” Shipnuck tweeted.
“But we all know Mickelson is a relentless salesman/bulls(—) artist, so take that for what it’s worth.”
Rahm has repeatedly said LIV’s 54-hole, team-based format does not interest him and he’s more interested in legacy than money.
However, the Spanish former world No.1 recently withdrew from the virtual TGL backed by Tiger Woods and McIlroy before the league was forced to postpone its debut to 2025 after the facility’s roof collapsed.
Rahm is also good friends with fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Mickelson, whose brother Tim was Rahm’s coach at Arizona State and agent when he first turned pro.
Rahm is not playing in Woods’s Hero World Challenge next week and has not addressed rumours he may bolt to LIV.
McIlroy said earlier this month he would “be surprised” if the world’s third-ranked player joined LIV.
“I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen,” McIlroy said on November 6.
“I’m pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”
Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, is exempt into each of the four majors for the next five years courtesy of his victory at Augusta National.
The inability to play in majors has been seen as one of the significant drawbacks for players joining LIV.
Rahm was also highly critical of the exclusion of LIV players from the Ryder Cup, specifically saying “it would be really stupid of anybody not to lean on Sergio Garcia’s experience.”
Mickelson, who is strongly denying the reports, said last month he knew more players would be signing with LIV.
“Do I think that? No, I know that’s going to happen,” he said.
That’s despite the league’s future being murky as the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund continue to work on details of their framework agreement in conjunction with the DP World Tour.
LIV released its 2024 schedule earlier on Wednesday, with one of the 14 events scheduled to be held in July in Andalucia, Spain.
While several marquee players have been strong in their criticism of LIV, Rahm has supported the decision of players to do what is in their best interests. He also said at last year’s Hero World Challenge PGA players had benefited greatly from the challenge LIV presented.
“I think on this side of things we should be thankful that LIV happened,” Rahm said last December.
“I don’t know if those changes would have happened if LIV wasn’t in the picture.”
The 2024 LIV Golf schedule will include 12 regular-season events in eight different countries, leaving the tour’s commissioner Greg Norman to hail it “the truly global golf league”.
The action will begin at Mayakoba in Mexico from February 2-4 and concludes at The Greenbrier in West Virginia from August 16-18.
In addition to the US and Mexico, events will take place in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Australia – back in Adelaide between April 26 and 28 – Singapore, Spain and England.
Source : Yahoo