Jon Rahm announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the Spanish Open because his wife is expected to give birth to the couple’s fourth child shortly. The 31-year-old Spaniard, a former world No. 1 and two-time major winner, is now preparing to leave LIV Golf.
Rahm’s lawyer, John Beck, told a bankruptcy court hearing that the golfer had reviewed the proposed LIV 2.0 terms himself and decided they were “unacceptable as to him”.
LIV and Rahm’s representatives are in advanced talks on “a consensual separation agreement between Mr Rahm and LIV”. They hope to finalise it by a court hearing on 5 November.
Rahm left the PGA Tour for LIV in December 2023 on a reported deal worth £222m ($300m).
In May, he agreed terms with the DP World Tour that allowed him to keep his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup. He then won his third straight LIV season title in August.
Since then, LIV staff have speculated that Rahm wanted to leave. His contract is the only one being adjourned to a later date.
LIV Golf sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in September after Saudi Arabia withdrew its multibillion-dollar funding. Rahm heads the creditor list with an unsecured claim of $7.5m (£5.5m).
The league has secured possible financing of $300m from BC Partners Credit. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is providing a bankruptcy loan of $49.6m (£36.6m) as debtor-in-possession financing.
BBC Sport understands that players have no obligation to accept LIV 2.0, including those who had signed multi-year LIV Golf contracts. LIV participants are owed at least $45m (£33m) and can leave, while talks between the league and its players remain open until 25 October.
New Jersey’s bankruptcy court has already granted Sergio Garcia a release from his LIV Golf contract. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Rahm and Cam Smith were offered a one-time opportunity to return to the PGA Tour, though Koepka alone accepted it.
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