What now for Rahm, DeChambeau and LIV's biggest names?

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are two of the the biggest names on the LIV tour Golf correspondentPublished39 minutes agoAs it headed for the LIV exit door, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund claimed that it "forever changed the game of golf". And there can be little argument that PIF's £3.8bn investment over nearly five years turned the pro game upside down. It also made many players, on both sides of golf's great divide, very wealthy men. The numbers involved are extraordinary and prompted the PGA Tour to find funding to stem an exit flow of talent that was attracted to the breakaway tour and threatened the future of the golfing establishment. But now, LIV's future has never been less certain. With Saudi Arabia walking away, a new board is scrambling to find funds to sustain the league beyond this 2026 season. Questions surround the futures of some of the biggest names in the sport. Jon Rahm signed with LIV in December 2023 for a reported $300m (£222m). In two completed seasons, he has earned nearly $92.5m (£68.4m) in prize money. But for all that financial security, his golfing future is unclear. The Spaniard is banned from the PGA Tour for at least a year after refusing to take the deal that Brooks Koepka accepted in January, under a hastily drawn up returning member programme. Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, two other recent major winners, also turned down that offer, but Rahm is also in dispute with Europe's DP World Tour. The former Masters and US Open champion declined to pay fines and take a settlement that would have involved him playing a minimum of six events on the European tour. As it stands, he is not a member in good standing and therefore ineligible for Europe's Ryder Cup team. He has two years of his LIV contract to run, but the pin positions are shifting on how that might look next year. Saudi Arabia to stop funding LIV Golf next season Published5 hours agoWhat will happen to LIV Golf after Saudi Arabia pull funding? Published4 hours agoIs this the beginning of the end for LIV Golf? Published16 AprilDeChambeau's LIV contract is up at the end of this season and he was looking to a sign a lucrative new deal. As the game's most unique character and with a substantial influencer following, the two-time US Open winner is a crucial figure. The task of new LIV directors Gene Davis and Jon Zinman is to raise investment to replace the Saudi billions. That would be less difficult with DeChambeau on board. But the 32-year-old American's signature will not come cheap. Can they afford him? Could they afford to be without him? Would DeChambeau want to rejoin the PGA Tour, renowned as the toughest of all golf circuits? Or does he go it alone as a YouTubing content creator, who plays only majors to keep competitive juices flowing? That is an unlikely scenario, but one being discussed in golfing quarters - DeChambeau rarely conforms to the norm. Other LIV golfers will also be wondering what the future holds. "It's wild," a LIV player messaged after learning of the withdrawal of Saudi funding. Eight LIV players have joint membership with the DP World Tour after accepting the six-tournament deal rejected by Rahm. Tyrrell Hatton, Laurie Canter, Tom McKibbin, David Puig, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Detry, Victor Perez and Elvis Smylie have permission to play LIV events without further sanction. Expect them to play more DP World Tour events than they might have initially envisaged. They will want to win enough money to shore up future playing privileges on the "old world" circuit. Asked how the latest LIV developments are being watched at DP World Tour HQ, a highly placed figure said: "Interestedly." Some of the breakaway tour's highest earners may well say similar. Aside from the Asian Tour's International Series, there appears little other option for a player such as Joaquin Niemann, the Chilean who has amassed $72m (£53m) earnings from his 52 LIV appearances. Niemann has not shown such form in the majors despite being a dominant figure in LIV competitions. The same can be said of Talor Gooch, an American who never played in the Ryder Cup, but who has netted $64.5m (£47.5m) in LIV prize money. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Richard Bland has earned nearly $20m (£14.8m) playing LIV golf For some players, moving to LIV made perfect sense. Veteran Englishman Richard Bland cashed in on the romance of his one DP World Tour victory, the 2021 British Masters, which effectively earned him an invitation to play LIV tournaments. He did not receive a signing-on fee, but in 55 tournaments has netted nearly $20m (£14.8m). In all, 105 players have so far competed on the LIV circuit. The lowest earners have been Englishman Oliver Fisher and Thailand's Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who each picked up $136,000 (£100,000) from their lone appearances. When LIV began in 2022, it attracted some of golf's biggest names with huge signing-on fees. Ph

What now for Rahm, DeChambeau and LIV's biggest names?

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