Jon Rahm's decision to quit the PGA Tour seems to have been vindicated given his place in LIV Golf's money table. The 29-year-old became the highest-paid golfer in the world after signing a reported £386million contract with the Saudi-backed breakaway tour in December last year.
The move caused something of a storm, particularly since Rahm had been critical of LIV's format in the past, and had previously insisted he was more interested in history and legacy than making money. But in February, the Spaniard conceded that money was in fact a big motivator for him and one of the main reasons behind his LIV Golf switch.
"I don't want to skip through this point because there's no point, there's a big change in the way the golfers get compensated. I'd be lying if it wasn't a big part of it," he told ESPN. He then delivered his nine-word message, saying: "I'm getting paid more to play the same sport."
"I don't know about most people but that sounds good to me," Rahm added.
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Rahm is currently second in the 2024 LIV Golf money list, having earned $12.75million (£9.72m) in prize money this season. Ahead of him is Joaquin Niemann, who has pocketed $14.5m (£11.1m), while Sergio Garcia ($11.46m/£8.73m) and Brooks Koepka ($11.04m/£8.41m) are third and fourth on the list respectively.
But despite being behind Niemann in the money table, Rahm recently leapfrogged the Chilean to take top spot in the overall LIV Golf standings, and with just one event in the calendar left, he's on the cusp of being crowned individual champion. If he holds onto first place, he'll bag a further $18m (£13.7m) in prize money.
Rahm, who won the US Open in 2021 and the Masters in 2023, hasn't finished outside the top 10 in a LIV event all season but has only managed one win so far. His sole triumph came at LIV Golf UK last month, where he pipped Nielmann by a single stroke.
He very nearly followed it up with a victory at LIV Golf Greenbrier last week but was edged by Koepka in a nail-biting play-off after both players finished on 19 under par. In doing so, Koepka became the first person to win five LIV Golf events.
The result meant Rahm had to settle for a $2.25m (£1.71m) payout, leaving him roughly $1.7m (£1.4m) behind Niemann in the earnings list. That said, his performance at Greenbrier pushed him ahead of Niemann, who finished T15, in the individual standings.
The pair will now battle it out for the LIV Golf crown in Chicago next month, with Rahm only needing to better Niemann's performance to secure top spot and follow in the footsteps of past champions Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch.
