Rahm reaches separation deal with LIV, gives up rest of nine-figure contract — SkimNews
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- Jon Rahm and LIV Golf reached a separation deal Wednesday in which the golfer releases all monetary and economic claims against the league in exchange for the exclusive return of his name, image and likeness rights and related marks, per court records.
- Rahm is LIV Golf's largest unsecured creditor, owed $7.5 million at the time of LIV's Sept. 8 Chapter 11 filing, though he was believed owed more than $100 million over the remainder of his contract — down from a reported multiyear deal worth more than $300 million when he left the PGA Tour in December 2023.
- The agreement must be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael B. Kaplan on Nov. 5; under its terms, Rahm forfeits all equity and membership interests in his LIV Golf team but retains the "Rahmbo" and "Legion XIII" marks, with Legion XIII barred from use in competing leagues like TGL.
- Rahm was LIV's seasonlong individual champion each of his three years in the league (2024–2026), racking up nearly $107 million in on-course earnings, but his attorney John Beck told the court Oct. 7 that LIV 2.0 terms were "unacceptable" and Rahm would not participate.
- PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp indicated the tour will not reinstate the Returning Member Program that brought Brooks Koepka back in February, and Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith — all eligible under that program — had each previously opted to remain with LIV.
- LIV Golf attorney Robert Fitzgerald told the bankruptcy court the league should know by month's end whether to proceed with LIV 2.0 or cease operations; golfers face an Oct. 25 deadline (alterable by new investor BC Partners) to commit.
Why it matters: Rahm's exit strips LIV Golf of its biggest on-course star during the very window the league must convince remaining players to commit to LIV 2.0 by Oct. 25 or risk dissolution — a possibility LIV's own attorney flagged in bankruptcy court. The former world No. 1 walks away from more than $100 million in remaining guaranteed money but keeps his personal brand and team trademarks, leaving PGA Tour reinstatement uncertain after the league scrapped its Returning Member Program.
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