What's Next for Jon Rahm After LIV Golf Indianapolis?

It’s time for Jon Rahm to decide what he wants out of professional golf.

“I have several years on my contract left, and I'm pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that,” Rahm said back in May. “So I don't see many ways out, and as of right now, I'm not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. So it's not something I want to think about just yet.”

Well, the majors are done. The season is over. Now what?

With LIV Golf's future in doubt, reports have circulated that the league is preparing for the possibility of Rahm’s departure. On the grounds at LIV Golf Indianapolis, there were plenty of rumors flying — and not just about Rahm. During his Wednesday press conference, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil expressed confidence in the league’s future and said he’ll have more to say “very soon” about the investment LIV is working to finalize. His optimism may ultimately prove justified. But skepticism about the league’s future is well-founded.

“This could be the last LIV event” was a common refrain among fans, players, caddies, and team personnel on site last week, especially in the merch tent! A caddie I spoke with Sunday night told me he has no idea what his player will do next, but much will depend on how the PGA Tour handles eligibility. “If they’re allowed to play on Track 2 by 2028,” he said, referring to the Tour’s Challenger Series, “it would kill this league.”

The uncertainty surrounding the league, in addition to the current state of the golf landscape, makes this an especially consequential offseason for Rahm.

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For starters, there is the Ryder Cup. Just over a week ago, the Athletic reported that the DP World Tour will resume imposing heavy fines and suspensions on LIV golfers who violate its conflicting events rule. Should Rahm remain on LIV, his standing with the DP World Tour could be jeopardized in what will be a Ryder Cup year.

Then there is the PGA Tour’s impending overhaul. The 2027 season is effectively a bridge year before the Tour’s new competitive model goes into effect. Currently, players not already exempt for signature events can still play their way into those fields through strong performances in non-signature events. Starting in 2028, in-season mobility between the two PGA Tour tracks will be much more limited than it is today and in 2027.

That could make next year Rahm’s best opportunity to reestablish himself on the PGA Tour, should the Tour offer him an opportunity to do so. If the Tour grants him access even just to non-signature events, it’s entirely plausible he would immediately play his way into signature events and obtain the highest status on the PGA Tour for effectively the entire season.

If he continues to play on LIV, though, depending on how the Tour defines eligibility criteria for 2028 onward, it’s possible Rahm wouldn’t make his way onto the top-level Championship Series until at least 2029. By then, he will be 34 years old, still in his prime, but with time no longer on his side.

With almost no relevance in major championships over the last three years, Rahm should be feeling some urgency. Over that span, he has won three season-long individual titles, two team championships with Legion XIII, and zero majors. There is nothing left for Rahm to accomplish on LIV that he hasn’t already.

“Both team and individual aspects, mission accomplished,” Rahm answered when asked to reflect on the past three years on LIV.

Reasonable minds can debate whether or not to link Rahm’s lack of recent major championship success to his departure from the PGA Tour. That said, you have to wonder if LIV 2.0 delivers the competitive environment Rahm wants.

Throughout the week in Indy, Rahm did not look miserable or malcontent. He didn’t necessarily look like a golfer desperate to escape his circumstances, nor did he look completely disengaged from the competition. On his final hole Sunday, Rahm reacted as violently as I can remember when his par attempt slid by, yelling a loud expletive before tapping in and heading to the range to await the result. He ultimately came up one shot shy of Michael La Sasso. Whatever else can be said about the competitiveness on LIV, it’s overstated to say players don’t care about winning. Rahm certainly did.

But at the same time, Rahm wasn’t always as engaged as he should be, or as engaged as he would be at a more serious golf tournament.

To LIV’s credit, there are elements of the product that are well-executed, especially the fan experience. Some of those same elements, however, directly undermine the competition. To suggest that the tournaments lack intensity is a massive understatement.

And for Rahm, that tension feels particularly relevant. One has to wonder how long a highly competitive athlete and self-described historian of the game can stomach shotgun start shuttle rides and pop music playing on tee boxes when he could be competing against better players in higher-profile tournaments on more demanding golf courses.

Over the next few months, we’re going to find out.

Thanks to our friends at Riomar Shoes for helping PJ Clark and Joseph LaMagna report on what could have been LIV Golf's last-ever event — at least as we know it.