Jon Rahm’s Absence May Leave PGA Tour in a ‘Popularity Dilemma’: Was Letting the Spaniard Defect a Good Idea?

Many tournaments on the PGA Tour caught the attention of the masses. However, two of such events had Jon Rahm at the center of it. With the Spaniard joining hands with the rival league, the question posed in front of the PGA Tour is—Was letting go of the World No. 3 a good idea?”

Moreover, the PGA Tour will be seeking new players to replace the popularity Rahm had brought to the league with his presence. However, after taking a glimpse at the procured list, there are a few contenders up for the job.

Jon Rahm’s defection may cost the PGA Tour in more than one way

In 2023 December, Jon Rahm made a staggering move and jumped ships from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Following his defection, the PGA Tour released a memo informing the players of Jon Rahm’s suspension from the Tour. The issuing of the memo has closed all the doors of PGA Tour events for the 29-year-old for now.

However, the $3 billion merger may be the key to opening the PGA Tour doors for the Spanish National once again, but it seems like a long wait with the reported delays in the merger. It is not only Rahm who had to face the consequences for his decision; the Tour may have also suffered regarding popularity which they gained through the presence of the 2023 Masters winner. According to the data released by GolfDigest, Rahm had been one of the most bankable stars for the PGA Tour.

In two out of the top five events, the two tournaments (The Masters and Genesis Invitational) won by the Spaniard caught the most attention and engagement from the masses. It means that people were actively discussing various moments that were created during the two events.

After his defection, Jon Rahm spoke about how he would love to keep playing on the PGA tour. Despite him vocalizing his wishes, the PGA Tour did not change its stance regarding his suspension. This very decision may leave the Tour in a popularity dilemma when garnering attention from the masses, especially if trends are to be believed.

Read More: PGA Tour News: Jon Rahm to Defend His Trophy at the 2024 Sentry Tournament of Champions?

Will a new player replace the 2x major champion in 2024 for the PGA Tour? There are three contenders right behind Rahm to replace him.

The rest of the top 5 

In 2023, Rickie Fowler ended his three-year winless drought on the PGA Tour by winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The Cal native jumped from the 35th rank to 23rd on OWGR, making 2023 the biggest year for him in a while. On the other hand, the other two golfers in the top five were Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

The world number one won THE PLAYERS Championship, his second victory of the 2023 season and sixth of his PGA Tour career. This triumph was the 4th in the total social media engagement list by Zoomph and garnered $4.6 million in social value.

The fifth event with the most social media engagement was the Scottish Open. The Northern Irish golfer attained his 24th title on the PGA Tour and tied the record for the most wins with Dustin Johnson and Gary Player. It had 169,968,725 impressions on social media and gained $4.3 million in social value. Only time will tell if these players can take the place of world number three on social media for the 2024 season.

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