Jordan Spieth didn't think Jon Rahm's decision to defect to LIV Golf was about beefing up his bank account. The three-time major champion has remained loyal to the PGA Tour, amid a large number of athletes who've decided to sign big-money deals with the Saudi-backed series over the last few years.
While Rahm initially pledged his allegiance to the Tour, he made a major U-turn in joining the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson in penning bumper contracts. The Spaniard's deal is reported to be worth around £386million.
While money may talk for some, according to Spieth, it wasn't the driving motivation behind Rahm's decision to sign. Instead, he suggested the situation within the PGA Tour pushed the 2023 Masters champion to leave.
Related articles
As well as being one of the world's best golfers, Spieth is also one of six player directors on the Tour’s advisory board and has been present in discussions regarding the future of the sport, amid the challenge from LIV. Speaking after Rahm's move, the American revealed how he didn't think the Spaniard moved solely for the money.
"I don’t think for him it was the money," Spieth told Associated Press. "I believe he saw two places that neither one was in a great situation right now, and he said, 'May as well have the money'". Amid the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and PIF to join forces in creating a new entity in the sport, Spieth praised the Saudis for the signing of Rahm, calling it a "really nice play".
The American, who hasn't won a major since The Open Championship in 2017, added: "It’s a really nice play by them. I think we hold the best hand, but they know what our hand is. It’s a nice leveraging tool with everything going on".
A framework agreement between the two organisations was reached 13 months ago in order to create a new for-profit entity, although nothing is set in stone just yet. Tiger Woods, who holds a seat on the PGA Tour Enterprises transaction committee, revealed his happiness in how negotiations are progressing between the two parties.
Joined on the committee by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott, the 15-time champion spoke to reporters earlier this month in Scotland and said: "I can tell you we're making progress. I can't tell you more than that just because we're not going to negotiate on the outside.
"We've got to keep everything at a high level and private, but things are moving and things are changing. It's evolving each and every day. There's e-mails and chains and texts and ideas that we bounce back and forth from both sides."
