European Ryder Cup veteran Thomas Bjorn sounds off on Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf move - “Golf has let itself down”

Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn is unhappy with Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf defection. The 52-year-old Dane sounded off on the big-money move by the Spaniard. He said that the move had “everyone surprised.”

Rahm confirmed his move to the Saudi-backed LIV tour on December 8. According to reports, the World No. 3 signed a deal worth around $565 million. Bjorn addressed the same and said that money was a big aspect to the move. Dubbing it a “a lot of money,” the veteran noted that it was “difficult” for someone like Rahm to turn down.

Furthermore, he reiterated that the former PGA Tour star had several good friends on the LIV Golf.

Speaking about Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf move in an interview with IOL Sports, Thomas Bjorn said:

“Jon Rahm has gone to LIV because that’s where the world is, like a lot of others have gone to LIV… Because of Jon’s comments in the past, I think everyone was surprised. I’m not one to stand up and shout and say ‘You said this.’

“I get that there’s an offer on the table. There are certain things that change. In six, eight and 12 months the mindset becomes different. He’s exempt into all the major championships for the foreseeable future.

“Most of us hope the game finds its position over the next period of time. I know Jon has a lot of good friends that are within the LIV structure. Obviously, there’s a money aspect to it. Don’t ever lose sight of that. Whatever the number is, it’s a lot of money. It is very difficult for a young man to say no to that out of principle.”

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Thomas Bjorn on LIV Golf's format

The 2018 Ryder Cup winning captain doesn’t seem too impressed about LIV’s 54-hole shotgun format. Bjorn didn’t slam LIV Golf directly but stated that there was no need for the new three-round format. He said that “golf has let itself down” by thinking the structure followed for decades “wasn’t right.”

He said, as quoted by IOL Sports:

“Golf has let itself down thinking that the structure we had for however many years, was not the right structure. This has shown there is a need and desire for something else. There are fans that weren’t happy with the old structure, but that doesn’t mean the old way was completely wrong either. You have to find a balance to make everything right. The structure is going to be there within the game, in one way or another.”

It is pertinent to note that Rahm wasn’t a fan of LIV Golf’s format. The Masters champion has claimed that the 54-hole three-day shotgun format wasn’t professional.

However, the golfer has since made the move and joined the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith and Bryson Dechambeau. Rahm is now set to lead his own team on the Saudi-backed series.