Jon Rahm will not take part in LIV Golf’s proposed LIV 2.0 relaunch after deciding that its terms were unacceptable, his lawyer told a US bankruptcy court hearing on Wednesday. Rahm and LIV are now in advanced discussions over a separation agreement, with the Spaniard’s future beyond the breakaway league not yet confirmed.
The decision is a substantial setback for LIV’s attempt to establish a 2027 season following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Rahm, a two-time major winner, had been among the circuit’s most prominent players since joining in December 2023 and won a third successive LIV season title in August, according to the BBC.
John Beck, representing Rahm and his entity Rahm LLC, told the hearing that the player had reviewed the proposed LIV 2.0 terms independently and would not participate going forward. Beck said the two sides were seeking a consensual agreement that would go beyond the contract-rejection issue before the court.
The immediate significance is clear: Rahm has made a decision on the proposed new LIV model, but his departure is not yet legally complete. The agreement still has to be concluded or the contractual dispute could return to court.
Separation talks have a defined timetable
Rahm’s representatives and LIV were aiming to finalise a separation agreement by 15 October, according to reports from the hearing. If that does not happen, Beck said Rahm intended to pursue his objection to the motion concerning his contract, with the matter due to be addressed at a hearing on 5 November.
That chronology matters because it separates a confirmed sporting decision from the outstanding legal process. Rahm has said no to LIV 2.0, but there is no evidence in the hearing reports that he has announced where he will play next or set out a full schedule for 2027.
Documents in the bankruptcy process listed Rahm with an unsecured claim of $7.5m, or £5.5m, the BBC reported. Other reporting has referred to much larger figures being owed over the remaining duration of his original deal, but the precise overall contractual position has not been officially established in the supplied evidence.
LIV has secured a possible $300m financing package from BC Partners Credit as it seeks to continue into 2027. The league also has until 25 October to discuss terms with players. That gives the organisation a short period in which to secure commitments, but Rahm’s decision means one of the players it hoped to retain will not be part of that proposed next phase.
DP World Tour route keeps Ryder Cup relevance
For British and Irish readers, the important competitive context is Rahm’s standing on the DP World Tour. In May, he settled his dispute with the circuit, paid fines reported by Sky Sports at about £2.21m and secured conditional releases for 2026. Sky reported that this retained his membership and Ryder Cup eligibility.
Retained eligibility does not itself confirm selection for Europe’s 2027 Ryder Cup team. The reports establish continued eligibility through DP World Tour membership, not a guaranteed place on the team.
The possibility of a PGA Tour return is less immediate. The BBC reported that LIV golfers are automatically banned for a year by the PGA Tour, while Sky Sports reported that Rahm had declined a previous returning-member offer. Neither report establishes a confirmed PGA Tour return for him, so any suggestion of one remains premature.
What remains unresolved for LIV and its players
Rahm’s position should not be treated as proof that other leading players will leave. Lawyers representing Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and others sought clarity at the same hearing about whether contract rejection would allow them to discuss future plans with third parties, the BBC reported. LIV’s lawyers did not agree to give them the same arrangement granted to Sergio Garcia, and that issue was pushed to 14 October.
Garcia was granted an arrangement that would terminate and reject his contract once signed, potentially allowing him to negotiate elsewhere. His position is therefore procedurally different from Rahm’s, whose representatives are pursuing a negotiated separation.
Rahm’s announcement nonetheless sharpens the central question facing LIV before the 25 October player-talk deadline: whether it can recruit enough players of the desired calibre for its restructured competition. The league’s financing gives the proposal a route forward, but the loss of a player who had won its last three season titles makes that task more difficult, rather than impossible.