Jon Rahm will have no problem filling out his LIV Golf foursome.
The Spanish club-swinger announced his jump to the rebel league from the PGA Tour last week in a move LIV CEO Greg Norman sees as validating for other golfers.
“I’ll be honest with you, since Jon signed, I know he’s been inundated by players saying, ‘I want to play on your team, Jon. How do I get on that?’” Norman told ESPN. “And I have been inundated and my other team members, too, my C-suite within the organization. I can tell you, hand on my heart, between eight and 12 guys for about two or three spots and maybe two spots, to be honest with you.”
Adding Rahm to a roster that includes Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and more has only increased speculation as to who may join them.
Some of that may have to do with the payday Rahm received for the Saudi-backed tour — a reported multi-year deal worth $300 million, though Norman pointed to less financially motivated reasons.
“I think word is getting out there amongst all the players around the world, even the top players, the best players in the world,” Norman said. “They love our format, they love our platform, they love the team spirit, the team atmosphere. And to be honest with you, I’ve seen it resonate very, very loudly this year. And obviously, Jon is an incredible addition to us.”
There are 8-12 players who could fill the 2-3 spots available, he said — though one of them will not be Tony Finau, who announced this week he’ll be sticking with the PGA.
The PGA Tour remains relevant in this equation, as its brass is set to meet with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as the two continue to negotiate a potential partnership.
Even if they merge, Norman told ESPN that LIV would remain a “standalone entity,” though he admitted he’s “not involved with that framework agreement at all.”
The sides imposed a Dec. 31 deadline when they announced the deal in June, though the combined entity might run into regulatory issues, and reports other bidders could swoop in and buy all or part of the PGA Tour have emerged as well.
Still, Norman remained hopeful that a deal does get done.
“I do hope that some agreement in some way, shape, or form comes about about private equity investing into golf,” Norman added.
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