Jon Rahm to LIV Golf contract numbers revealed as Masters champion makes history in mega-money breakaway

The Spanish golfer who is currently the reigning Masters champion is to sign with the controversial breakaway group.

Jon Rahm is on the brink of a stunning £475million switch to LIV Golf.

The Spanish sensation’s defection is the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit’s landing biggest signing since forming last summer. Rahm had been linked with joining the LIV setup for weeks, and the deal is now apparently agreed between the Masters champion and the breakaway league. In the days building up to the Spaniard’s Saudi switch, multiple reports alleged Rahm was to become LIV’s highest paid player to date.

It was reported that the reigning Masters champion is to be handed an eye-watering £475million ($600m) package to sign on the dotted line with Greg Norman and co, with £237.5m ($300m) paid up front. LIV Golf is owned by the Public Investment Fund. PIF - the Saudi sovereign wealth fund which owns Newcastle United - took control of negotiations to ensure the acquisition of Rahm was secured.

The Spaniard is expected to sign imminently and will take control of his own team. Rahm becomes the latest big name to make the Saudi switch, following in the footsteps of his good friends Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, as well as the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith. Amid a number of star-studded names, the signing of Rahm is could be well be the breakaway league’s biggest coup to date.

The 29-year-old will join the LIV roster as the current Masters champion, having announced himself as one of the world’s top players in recent years. Rahm is currently ranked No. 3 in the world rankings, and has battled for top spot with Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler over the past two years. The move will Rahm’s Ryder cup future in doubt.

While LIV Golf star Koepka could feature for the USA, the situation is different for European stars like Rahm, a cornerstone of Team Europe as they regained the iconic trophy in Rome this year. The European Ryder Cup team is largely run by the DP World Tour - one of LIV’s direct rivals - and players who wanted to be eligible for selection had to be a member of the tour.

Many European players, including Ryder Cup stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter, faced heavy sanctions when they joined LIV Golf. Rather than paying fines of up to £800,000, they opted to resign their DP World Tour membership, a move that rendered them ineligible for selection.

Rahm is likely to face a similar situation. Alongside bans from the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour will likely fine and ban the World No. 3, who can circumvent the fines by resigning his membership - but would condemn him to being frozen out of the Ryder Cup picture. Alternatively, he could simply pay the fines and maintain his Ryder Cup eligibility.

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