Jon Rahm has called on the best players in professional golf to be reunited amid the ongoing split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
Rahm became LIV's biggest signing yet last December, as the Masters champion signed a deal worth a reported £450 million to join Greg Norman and co. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson did come at a cost though, as he too was issued a ban by the PGA Tour.
Last June, a shock announcement by the Tour revealed it had reached a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), to end the ongoing feud between the two rival circuits.
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Nine months on though, a deal is yet to be finalised, meaning players are still unable to play across both tours. Rahm however is hoping an agreement can be completed sooner rather than later. "I think there's a way of co-existing," he said ahead of his Masters title defence next month.
"I don’t know what it looks like, but I just want to be able to see the best in the world compete against each other... I think there’s room for the game of golf to get to the next level. Right now, it might not be the friendliest group but, if there’s some type of peace achieved, I think it can actually push the game forward.”
On Monday representatives from the PGA Tour and PIF met in the Bahamas to hold peace talks, with the former's Players Directors - including the likes of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay - in attendance. The biggest name on the attendee list though was that of Tiger Woods.
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Woods too is a member of the PGA Tour's Policy Board, and according to reports met with PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan on the golf course to discuss the future picture of professional golf. Fellow Player Director Webb Simpson opened up on Monday's meeting, revealing 82-time PGA Tour winner Woods was 'very engaged'.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Simpson went on: "Outside of our meeting he’s been super engaged along the way. He’s a great leader and I really think he’s taken the position of our leader and we rely on him a lot.” Like Rahm, Simpson too is hoping to see the world's best reunite week-in-week-out, rather than just at the sport's four majors.
“Ultimately, I want us all to play together more than just the majors," he added. "It doesn’t have to be just the PGA Tour. That’s why we all love sports. Best teams in the Super Bowl. Best teams in NBA Finals. I do think it’s a while until we get there. I didn’t walk away with a much clearer understanding of what the future holds. But I definitely walked away thinking I’m glad we did that. Glad we met him. Glad we had a very friendly meeting. It was never tense. It was a long day but a good day.”
