PGA Tour suspends Jon Rahm for LIV Golf switch
Like the players who came before him, Jon Rahm has been suspended by the PGA Tour for signing his big-money move with LIV Golf…
LIV Golf rebel Jon Rahm has been suspended by the PGA Tour.
The circuit told the players of Rahm’s punishment for switching to the Saudi-backed league in a memo on Monday.
Suspensions for joining LIV Golf became common practice when every PGA Tour player who competed in the first LIV event in June 2022 suffered the same fate.
11 players subsequently filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tour in August of the same year, but this legal action was eventually dropped.
The tour sanctioned the Masters champion to “ensure that suspended members do not negatively impact other players’ tournament eligibility, position on the priority rankings or eligibility to compete in the Playoffs and Signature Events.”
Therefore, the Spaniard’s results from last season won’t count in the points list which affects eligibility for the 2024 season.
This is music to the ears of Mackenzie Hughes who now hops one place to 50th in the rankings, awarding him a spot in the eight signature events with $20 million payouts.
Carl Yuan has also been offered a reprieve by moving to 125th in the rankings. This means the 26-year-old from China will keep his card next season.
“I found a great platform on the PGA Tour and I am forever grateful for the platform they have given me,” Rahm said after completing his shock move.
“If I’m lucky and things go well in the future, I still want to be part of that platform.
“LIV Golf gives me the freedom to play golf when it doesn’t conflict with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour and I certainly want to be part of that in the future.”
Did the PGA Tour address other issues in the memo?
A group of anonymous PGA Tour players circulated a petition to the membership on December 2.
The petition called for a “special meeting” to discuss FedEx Cup points allocations in the Signature Events compared with full field events.
The unnamed players also wanted to discuss the number of Signature Events, which will feature limited fields, the Player Impact Program and the PGA Tour leadership.
This matter was the subject of a call between the PGA Tour Policy Board and the management according to the memo and “the board is listening to the concerns expressed from individual members and takes the concerns seriously.”
Points allocations won’t change but the memo said the Policy Board will review this in June and “compare how the system is performing related to the projections and evaluate whether any adjustments need to be made prior to the 2025 season.”
Monday memo to Tour players: Rahm suspended as a result of his “association with a series of unauthorized tournaments.” The board also opts to keep current model for points distribution for next year following petition from members. pic.twitter.com/it3I8EjkkO
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) December 12, 2023
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
