Greg Norman addresses ‘laughable’ claim that Jon Rahm ‘wants to LEAVE LIV Golf and return to PGA Tour’ less than year after $500m defection

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has responded to a report that Jon Rahm, one of the biggest stars of his retirement group, is already regretting his departure from the PGA Tour.

The Spaniard shocked the golfing world when he swapped the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed circuit in December 2023 in a reportedly $500 million deal.

But more than eight months later, a “veteran Tour insider” told Golf Digest that the two-time major winner was already having second thoughts about his nine-figure move.

“I am 100 percent sure that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and get back on tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough,” the anonymous source claimed.

But the leader of the breakaway group quickly denied those claims during the second round at LIV Golf Greenbrier on Saturday.

‘I read an article yesterday about how unhappy Jon is here [LIV Golf] and that he wants his money back,” Norman said via Golf Magic. “That’s just not true.

“You’re talking to Jon’s CEO, it’s laughable. I really don’t get it. I really don’t get the division.”

“The divide is still there when we show how we operate within the ecosystem, how the ecosystem accepts us and how people speak out about it,” the Australian continued.

“I just don’t understand why it is. It tells you there’s something deep-rooted, but we keep plowing through it and staying true to ourselves.”

The insider also noted that the lack of exposure has been a source of frustration for Rahm, adding: “Now there are only four times a year that he plays where there is any interest at all.

A ‘seasoned Tour insider’ claimed the Spaniard would repay his $500 million transfer fee to leave the circuit

“He thought his status in the sport was secure no matter where he played, but that was a huge miscalculation.”

Rahm’s major championship campaign this year was less than ideal, with him playing in only three of golf’s biggest tournaments.

In April, he unsuccessfully defended his Masters title, finishing tied for 45th at Augusta National. A month later, he missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

A mysterious infection in his left foot forced him to withdraw from the US Open in Pinehurst in May, just two days before the start of the tournament.

He wanted to turn his season around with a seventh place (-3) at The Open Championship before leaving for Paris to represent Spain at the Olympic Games.

In the final round at Le Golf National, Rahm, the previous day’s co-leader, had a four-stroke lead after finishing five under par in the first nine holes.

Rahm won his first event on the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway at LIV Golf UK by JCB last month

But the LIV rebel then made four bogeys and a double bogey in the final round of his fourth round to finish four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler.

Analyst Brandel Chamblee strongly criticised his collapse, comparing it to Rory McIlroy’s collapse in the final round of the US Open earlier this year.

“(He) shoots 29, Jon Rahm shoots 39. I consider that one of the biggest failures (and) chokes of the year – probably as bad as Rory McIlroy coming at the end of the US Open,” Chamblee said.

Meanwhile, Rahm is second in the individual standings for Saudi-backed LIV Golf, having won his first title on the circuit last month at LIV Golf UK by JCB. His team, Legion XIII, is also second in the team standings.