This would be a seismic shift in the great golf war.
According to Alan Shipnuck of the Firepit Collective, Phil Mickelson “has been telling folks” in recent days that Jon Rahm signing with LIV Golf is a “done deal.”
It comes amid bombshell reports claiming world No.3 Rahm is close to finalising a deal worth a whopping $US600 million ($A916 million) to join the tour.
A number of outlets including Bunkered reported that Rahm was in negotiations with LIV. The publication said no deal was done but the Spaniard is “closer to joining than he has been before.”
Social media page FlushingIt, which has had wide coverage of the LIV tour, also claimed Rahm was in “late stage” talks with LIV.
Shipnuck, who recently wrote an unauthorized biography on Mickelson, warns that the golfer “is a relentless salesman/bulls–t artist, so take that for what it’s worth.”
Mickelson, though, does share an agent with Rahm and there has been some signs that the Spaniard’s loyalty to the PGA Tour was fading.
Rahm pulled out of TGL, the technologically-aided golf league being started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, that is partnered with the PGA Tour.
Rahm, 29, was also recently asked about the idea of replacing McIlroy on the PGA Tour board — and he was less than enthusiastic about the proposition.
“Oh, you won’t see me there,” Rahm said. “Absolutely no chance. I’ve been asked a couple times if I have any interest. But I’m not going to spend … I don’t know how many meetings they have, but they are six, seven, hours long. I’m not here for that.
“As regards to Rory, he’s obviously been put in a situation where a lot has been expected of him, and I don’t know the exact reason why he left the board. But I certainly wouldn’t blame him for wanting to focus a bit more on his game and his family and enjoy the bit of time. He’s truly earned that.”
Those hints certainly don’t add up to a sure thing, though, and Rahm has publicly scoffed at the idea of defecting to LIV Golf.
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The reigning Masters champ has said that money is not his primary motivation for playing the sport and cherishes the competition on the PGA Tour.
“I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf,” Rahm told a Spanish golf podcast in July.
“I’ve never liked the format. And I always have a good time with Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the practice rounds of majors. Phil respects my decision, and I respect his [choice]. Mickelson has told me that I have no reason to go play for LIV, and he has told me that multiple times.”
LIV Golf landed some of the biggest names in the sport — Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Cam Smith, among others — with massive guaranteed contracts when it first launched in 2022.
The morals of those players were questioned given the league was financially fronted by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
However, the PGA ceded that high ground when they shockingly agreed to the framework of a partnership in June with PIF, which included LIV.
Five months later an official agreement remains unsigned and there is a Dec. 31 deadline, though that can be pushed back into the new year.But for now, Rahm could become the biggest storyline around the two tours.
This story originally appeared on New York Post.
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