Is Jon Rahm moving to LIV Golf? Exploring rumors as the World No.3 gets dropped from the TGL roster

Jon Rahm's name being dropped from the TGL has raised many questions and has once again fueled rumors of him joining LIV Golf.

On Tuesday, October 31, the format of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's much-anticipated tech-infused league was updated on its official website. Surprisingly, Rahm's name was missing from the player roster. In addition, his name was also removed from TGL's website as well as all its social media pages.

TGL also deleted their official announcement post on X (formerly called Twitter) when Rahm signed up for the league.

The rumors of Rahm joining the Saudi-backed circuit have been circulating since it came into existence in 2022. The reports suggested that he was offered $400 million to join LIV Golf, but he declined it and continued to be loyal to the PGA Tour.

Earlier in August, Jon Rahm quashed the rumors of him joining LIV Golf in a podcast with Handicap 54. In a conversation conducted in Spanish, he said he wasn't a fan of the league's format.

He was quoted as saying, via SB Nation:

"I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf. 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."

One of the reasons for the consistent chatter about the 28-year-old Spaniard joining the PIF-sponsored circuit is his closeness with its players. He is one of the few big players on the PGA Tour who hasn't criticized the rival circuit or its associated players.

During this year's Players Championship pre-event press conference, Jon Rahm credited LIV for pushing the PGA Tour to make significant positive changes, such as increasing the purse size of events. He said:

"I wish it didn't come to the PGA Tour being under fire from somebody else to make those changes and make things better for the players. But I guess it is what we needed, so yeah, it is because of LIV golf, otherwise, we wouldn't have seen any of this."

Rahm has been close to LIV Golf-associated players like Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. For the uninitiated, Mickelson is also from Arizona State University — Rahm's alma mater.

However, these are still speculations, and if Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf at any time in the future, it will be quite a blow to the PGA Tour, given that he has been one of the most in-form players on the Tour. For LIV, it will be one of their biggest coups, which might open doors for other big names as well.

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How many PGA Tour titles did Jon Rahm win this year?

The 11-time winner on the PGA Tour added four titles this year, including the Masters Tournament — his second major championship title. Here are all the four wins by Jon Rahm this season:

• Sentry Tournament of Champions: Beat Collin Morikawa by 2 strokes
• The American Express: Beat Davis Thompson by 1 stroke
• Genesis Invitational: Beat Max Homa by 2 strokes
• Masters Tournament: Beat Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson by 4 strokes