“It was a bad miscalculation,” wrote Jaime Diaz, a writer for Golf Digest, as he alluded to Jon Rahm’s decision to jump to LIV Golf. The reporter was quoting a “Veteran Tour Insider,” who reportedly divulged the Spaniard’s current mindset. However, it appears that the recent report was anything but true, per the 2023 Masters champ himself.

A tweet was shared by Pro Golf Critic on their X handle, mentioning how the report and the tweet that NUCLR GOLF shared were shown to the LIV Golf Pro during the rain delay. His response? Well, the golfer didn’t shy away from dishing out a jab at the report as he replied, “Yea, that’s why I can’t stop smiling out here. They just make sh*t up. Couldn’t be further from the truth.” Although the reported reaction from the pro was paraphrased by the golf media, it sure does paint a clear picture of the situation.

Jaime Diaz also mentioned that the “Veteran Tour Insider” had pointed out how he is “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.” The golfer had joined LIV Golf back in December for a reported $500 million, all the while reasoning about how he wanted to set his family up as best as possible.

“Now there are only four times a year when he’s playing that anybody is remotely interested,” added the veteran insider, “He thought his stature in the game was secure no matter where he was playing, and it was a bad miscalculation.” Interestingly, Jon Rahm had once conveyed how he thought he “could be the start of a tipping point,” while alluding to the whole PIF-PGA Tour merger.

That’s not all. Rahm could only play in three major events this season (remember his WD from the 2024 U.S. Open?). Moreover, being unable to defend his title of champion at three of the events on the Tour also might have added to the whole picture of the Spaniard reportedly regretting his decisions. Regardless of the speculations, one can only look on in awe as he clinched his first LIV Golf win in the UK.

Jon Rahm’s first LIV Golf win and the emotional breakdown

The 11th event on the 2024 LIV Golf circuit saw Spanish Pro Jon Rahm emerge victorious for the first time since the 2023 Masters Tournament. He did so by carding a figure of 13-under 200 over the two days of play, all thanks to him registering scores of 63-70-67. Moreover, his win came with the help of 17 birdies and 4 bogeys.

In addition, his finish along with Tyrrell Hatton’s T2 finish, not to mention the performance of the other two teammates, were more than enough for Legion XIII GC to win the team event. As a result, they were able to beat the likes of Brooks Koepka-led Smash GC, Sergio Garcia-led Fireballs GC, and Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC, all of whom sport a score of 11-under. Consequently, Jon Rahm was spotted having a small emotional moment of sorts when tears came down his eyes after the win. Truly a much-needed triumph for the LIV Golf Pro.