US Open: Jon Rahm says players feel betrayed over PGA Tour-PIF merger plans

1 year ago 29

Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm practising unneurotic astatine the 2023 US Open successful Los Angeles

"A lot" of PGA Tour players "feel betrayal from management" astir however the projected merger with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was announced past week, says Jon Rahm.

The satellite fig 2 was lone alerted to the quality by substance messages.

"I thought my telephone was going to drawback connected occurrence astatine 1 point," said Rahm.

"At 1 constituent I told [my wife] Kelley I'm going to propulsion my telephone successful the drawer and not look astatine it for 4 hours due to the fact that I can't woody with this."

A week connected from the quality emerging, small much is known astir the PGA Tour's plans, oregon what volition hap to LIV Golf - the PIF-funded start-up that has caused truthful overmuch part successful the crippled since holding its archetypal lawsuit a twelvemonth ago, astatine Centurion Golf Club, adjacent London.

Rahm acknowledged the PGA Tour had "heard [the players] passim the full process" implicit the past 12 months, but added "we're surely successful a spot successful clip wherever there's a large question people - we don't person immoderate of the answers we'd like".

The Spaniard, who turned down a reported $200m (£159m) to articulation LIV, continued: "I deliberation it gets to a constituent wherever you privation to person religion successful management, and I privation to person religion that this is the champion happening for each of us, but it's wide that that's not the consensus.

"The wide feeling is that a batch of radical consciousness a spot of betrayal from management."

Rahm besides said helium understood the request for secrecy, truthful the quality was not leaked to the media, but pointed retired the "bombshell" has led to "a authorities of uncertainty that we don't love".

However, the reigning Masters champion, who is successful Los Angeles this week trying to adhd to his 2021 US Open title, added: "I'm not a concern expert. Some of those guys connected the committee and progressive successful this are.

"So I'd similar to deliberation they're going to marque a amended determination than I would, but I don't know. We'll see. There's inactive excessively galore questions to beryllium answered."

Two-time US Open victor Brooks Koepka said the contented was nary clearer connected the LIV broadside of the fence.

"We didn't perceive thing astir it," helium said. "I deliberation that's the 1 happening that shocked everybody the most.

"I ran into Rickie [Fowler] and JT [Justin Thomas] aft watching the full happening and I asked if they knew, and they said they didn't know, either.

"They were benignant of learning astir it. They were connected the backmost of the range, truthful I astir apt saw them 30 minutes aft the quality broke."

Koepka, victor of this lawsuit successful 2017 and 2018, announced his determination to the fledgling LIV Golf circuit a week aft past year's US Open, contempt telling reporters successful the week of the title they were "throwing a achromatic cloud" implicit 1 of his "favourite events" by asking him if helium was switching.

The American has looked backmost to his champion signifier this year, finishing runner-up astatine the Masters successful April and past winning his 3rd US PGA Championship past period to instrumentality his large tally to five.

"Double digits, that's what I'm trying to get to," Koepka said. "I don't deliberation it's retired of the question. I deliberation the mode I've prepared, the mode I've benignant of suited my crippled for these things is going to assistance me.

"That's what you're judged on. It's large championships. I'm lone 33, truthful I've decidedly got rather a spot of time."

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