Is Jon Rahm regretting his decision to join LIV Golf? It’s hard to say. Some rumors suggest that the Spaniard is now questioning his decision to join the Saudi-backed league, but only he could answer this legitimately. He has though, as he has time and again mentioned that he does not regret his move that helped him earn $500 million. While the golf world wraps its head around this, there is something important coming up that Rahm is sadly not part of.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are joining forces and will compete against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a made-for-TV match. The match could be to attract views in the hope of solving the situation on both circuits. And surprisingly, Rahm isn’t part of this important step.

Is LIV Golf ignoring Jon Rahm?

Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf saw a decline in viewership for their tournaments. Jay Monahan’s tour experienced approximately a 20% drop in viewership, while Greg Norman’s circuit saw a 24% decrease in audience numbers from its season opener in Mexico to its second event in Tucson. Many suspected the reason behind these declining numbers is that fan-favorite pros are scattered; some are in Saudi-backed leagues and a few are on the PGA Tour.

Witnessing that, McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau, and Koepka are taking this step. Recently, NUCLR GOLF shared a post on X captioning “Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are set to face off against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a made-for-TV match.” The match will take place in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on TNT. We are hoping to attract views again.

Why do you think Rahm is not participating in The Match despite having a significantly bigger contract than DeChambeau and Koepka? Could it be because Jon Rahm is unhappy with his LIV Golf decision? Even after receiving a hefty amount, there have been rumors that Rahm is unhappy with his contract. Last month, an anonymous source revealed to Golf Digest, “I am 100 percent positive that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and come back to the tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough.” However, the 29-year-old denied these rumors, saying, “There’s zero validity to what any of that said. I don’t know where it came from,” as revealed on Golf Digest.

While on the PGA Tour, Rahm won 11 PGA Tour events, including the 2023 Masters and 2021 U.S. Open. Coming to the Saudi-backed league, he tried to maintain good momentum by finishing in the top 10 in all the events. He even won LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf & Country Club. Not being part of this fun event is not the only bad thing Rahm is enduring as a result of his defection, he has other struggles going on too.

Jon Rahm’s Ryder Cup appearance is at risk

Rahm has played the Ryder Cup three times in the years 2018, 2021, and 2023. As for the 2025 edition of the tournament, the golfer was excited and said, “It’s something so special. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be absolutely incredible. And hopefully, I can be a part of the team.” However, the way things are, it’s looking tough for the golfer to be part of the 2025 edition of the tournament. Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour Chief Executive, mentioned that Rahm would be eligible as long as he meets the conditions and follows the rules.

As per the current criteria, “If a player is European and is a member of the DP World Tour and abides by the rules in place, he is eligible.” But wait, there’s more: “If you don’t get a release, there are sanctions, so a player must accept those sanctions. And if he accepts the penalties, there is no reason why a player who has taken LIV membership and maintained his DP World Tour membership could not a) qualify or b) be available for Ryder Cup selection,” said Kinnings.

However, paying the standard member’s legal fees and fines wasn’t sufficient, as he also had to serve a suspension to be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup. This means that if Jon Rahm played in any LIV Golf event, he would be suspended or banned from competing in the following week’s DP World Tour event. Because of that, Rahm hasn’t played in any DP World Tour event in 2024 so far, and the Ryder Cup eligibility criteria also says, “To be eligible for the Ryder Cup, a player must play in a minimum of four DP World Tour events.”

Rahm can’t play at the Amgen Irish Open or the BMW PGA Championship because of suspensions. So leaving that, he has seven tournaments left for him to participate in; if the situation improves, he can still punch a ticket to the 2025 Ryder Cup. What do you think of Jon Rahm’s situation? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!