Jon Rahm eyes 2027 PGA Tour return and would accept Koepka-style penalties

Rahm plans a DP World Tour season in 2027

Jon Rahm said he has not yet discussed his future with the PGA Tour and does not know what his 2027 season will look like. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, which starts on 5 November, the Spaniard said his plan is to spend the year on the DP World Tour until he gets clarity on a route back. It was his first public appearance since his legal counsel announced at a US bankruptcy hearing in October that he would not play in LIV 2.0.

“As of right now, I really don't know what 2027 is going to look like for me.”

Rahm is seeking a separation agreement with LIV, which is set to be finalised at a hearing on 5 November. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has said that LIV players who want to return must first present legal proof that they have split from the league and are free of its obligations. Only after that can conversations about a comeback begin.

Why he left LIV

Rahm called his three years on the rebel tour a positive experience and said he had no regrets about joining. He was not willing, however, to follow the path LIV was taking with its second version, which he felt was moving away from team golf and becoming more like a regular tour. Asked whether he was frustrated about money he did not receive from the league, he said he was not. Estimates put the amount he left on the table at $100 million to $150 million.

LIV's position has collapsed. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing in April after investing more than $5 billion. LIV filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States in September and is now trying to relaunch as LIV 2.0 with new money from BC Partners Capital, including a possible $300 million in financing. Rahm gave up all claims against the league's bankruptcy estate, reported to be worth up to $150 million, but kept control of his Legion XIII team's intellectual property and trademarks.

Penalties and the PGA Tour route

The PGA Tour designed a one-time offer to entice Brooks Koepka, Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith back to the tour. It required a $5 million charitable donation and forfeiture of some future equity in the tour, and Koepka accepted fines and a five-year bar on earning equity from PGA Tour Enterprises to return. Rahm did not take the offer last year, but he said he would most likely take it now. He doubted, however, that he would receive the same return terms and penalty structure as Koepka.

“I seriously doubt I get offered the same deal that Brooks did, but if I got offered exactly the same penalties as him, I probably would do it, yes.”

Under the current precedent, a golfer leaving LIV serves a one-year suspension from their last event played. For Rahm and other players who have announced they are leaving, that would make them eligible on 24 August 2027. The PGA Tour closed its returning members programme on 2 February.

Playing options and what comes next

In May, Rahm reached a deal with the DP World Tour to keep his membership there and remain eligible for next year's Ryder Cup. He is ranked 51st in the Race to Dubai, so a solid week at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship could carry him into the top 50 for the DP World Tour Championship finale in Dubai in the week of 9 November. Political uncertainty in the Middle East, linked to the US and Israel's war with Iran, has prompted a number of top players to skip the DP World Tour's first play-off event. The separation agreement with LIV is set to be finalised at the 5 November hearing.