Jon Rahm has agreed terms to leave LIV Golf. He gives up every monetary and economic claim he holds against the bankrupt league, and in return gets back exclusive control of his name, image and likeness.
The separation agreement was reached on Wednesday, according to court records. It still needs the approval of Judge Michael B. Kaplan of the US Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey. Kaplan is due to rule on 5 November, the same day Rahm is scheduled to start his first round at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
How much is Rahm walking away from?
Rahm is LIV’s largest unsecured creditor. He was owed $7.5 million when the league filed for Chapter 11 protection on 8 September, a filing built around a plan to hand players majority ownership of a reorganised league.
Rahm is believed to have been owed more than $100 million over the remainder of his contract. He reportedly signed a multi-year deal worth more than $300 million when he left the PGA Tour for LIV in December 2023.
His three seasons on the circuit were hugely productive. Rahm was LIV’s season-long individual champion in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and earned nearly $107 million in on-course prize money.
The split was signposted at a hearing on 7 October. Rahm’s attorney, John Beck, told Kaplan that the two-time major champion would not be part of LIV 2.0, the restructured league backed by BC Partners in which players would swap their claims for equity.
“Mr. Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0,” Beck said.
What does the agreement say?
Rahm releases all claims against LIV and its affiliates. Each of his contracts with the league is terminated, which removes any further obligation to play, perform or provide services. He also forfeits all equity and membership interests in his LIV team, Legion XIII.
In exchange:
- All rights to his name, image and likeness revert exclusively to him.
- LIV transfers the “Rahmbo” and “Legion XIII” marks to him.
- He is barred from using the Legion XIII name in another league, such as TGL.
- LIV keeps ownership of any historical content featuring Rahm from his time on the circuit.
Where does Rahm play next?
On the DP World Tour. Rahm is set to make his Abu Dhabi debut at Yas Links from 5-8 November. That is the penultimate event of the season and the opener of the Play-Offs, with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to follow, an event he has won three times.
His standing in Europe is already settled. He has paid his outstanding DP World Tour fines, which restored his eligibility for Race to Dubai points and Ryder Cup qualifying for Adare Manor next year.
His recent form has been poor. He finished dead last at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Before that week he faced a barrage of questions about his future, declined to give anything away and insisted he did not regret joining LIV. He then missed last week’s Open de España for the birth of his fourth child.
A route back to the PGA Tour is less clear. CEO Brian Rolapp has indicated the tour will not revive the Returning Member Program, which allowed former LIV captain Brooks Koepka to return in February. Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were all eligible under that scheme and all three chose to stay with LIV. How quickly Rahm could return, if he wants to, is unknown.
What happens to LIV?
At Wednesday’s hearing, LIV attorney Robert Fitzgerald told Kaplan the league expected to know by the end of October whether it would cease operations or go ahead with LIV 2.0. The league’s legal team also raised concern over the DP World Tour’s recent decision to ban all LIV players in 2027.
Players have until 25 October to decide whether to sign up for LIV 2.0, although the league has said BC Partners can move that deadline.
Related: Jon Rahm to Make Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Debut at Yas Links
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.