Jon Rahm jumps ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in eye-watering deal worth ‘upwards of $570MILLION’… with Spanish two-time major winner set to be announced by Saudi-backed breakaway TODAY

Jon Rahm has officially moved from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf with an announcement confirming the signing will take place in the coming hours, according to several reports.

There has been mounting speculation in recent weeks that the two-time major winner would defect to Greg Norman's rebel circuit. The move is reportedly now a done deal, with an announcement imminent.

The number 3 in the world has according to The Telegraphmarking a massive coup for the Saudi-backed breakout amid the seemingly unstable truce with the PGA Tour.

The Spaniard, who has won 11 times on the PGA Tour, was one of the biggest names to remain loyal, behind fellow major winners Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

But six months after Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan's U-turn to form an alliance with LIV backers Saudi PIF, Rahm has made his own about-face.

According to reports, Jon Rahm has officially jumped ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf

An official announcement is said to be expected as soon as Thursday evening, but Rahm has already put the deal in writing.

The signing comes as a huge blow to the PGA Tour, with Rahm being one of its most popular figures, along with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2 Rory McIlroy.

It leaves its Ryder Cup future for 2025 at Bethpage in New York in doubt after other LIV rebels and Team Europe heroes Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson were all ruled out of Luke Donald's team after last came to LIV for years. .

Just a few months ago, Rahm teamed with McIlroy and Viktor Hovland to lead a resurgent Team Europe to a five-point Ryder Cup victory over the United States in Rome. He was expected to be another leading figure for Donald, who was confirmed to captain the team. Europeans for the second time in 2025.

Rahm had repeatedly scoffed at rumors that he would leave the PGA Tour over one of LIV's lucrative deals.

“I laugh when people say I have LIV Golf,” Rahm said via Handicap 54, translated from Spanish. 'I never liked the format. And I always have a lot of fun with Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the practice rounds of the majors.”

At the 2022 US Open, he also pledged allegiance to the PGA Tour, emphasizing that his “heart is with” the existing tour.

However, the move is not much of a shock as there are signs of the defections in recent months.

Rahm's future first became murky after he withdrew from the first TGL season, a venture started jointly by McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

Rahm said of missing the TGL season: “I regret to confirm that I will not be participating in the inaugural TGL season. While I still think it's a great opportunity, at this point it requires a level of commitment that I can't provide.”

Rahm and Rory McIlroy helped Team Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup a few months ago

Rahm's joining LIV Golf, as the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world, would change the sport

A report from golf writer Alan Shipnuck claiming that Phil Mickelson told people Rahm to LIV was essentially a done deal, leaving the southpaw to come out swinging.

But, unlike in the past, Rahm had remained silent on the rumors rather than publicly shutting them down, which only increased speculation that he was preparing to leave the PGA Tour.

Rahm fanned the flames when he opted not to defend his title at The American Express, a PGA Tour event.

Rahm also remained closely linked to Fireballs GC captain Garcia following his compatriot's move to LIV in 2022 and even petitioned to have the European rebels considered for Ryder Cup selection.

Rahm's move comes less than a month before the Dec. 31 framework agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF to finalize the details of the truce.

The PGA Tour dropped a bombshell on June 6, announcing that golf's two warring factions were calling a truce, essentially bringing the PGA Tour, the European DP World Tour and LIV Golf under one umbrella.

The Spaniard announced his decision to withdraw from Tiger Woods and McIlroy's TGL venture

While the merger in June ended ongoing litigation between the two factions under the framework agreement, negotiations on the details of the deal are still ongoing and must be completed before the December 31 deadline.

But Rahm's defection could increase the tension in the already fragile negotiations between all parties.

PGA players were kept in the dark about the Tour for weeks and LIV Golf's backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, plans to merge under a framework agreement and only found out about it on social media at the same time as the rest of the world.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in particular faced anger from his members, with many calling for him to resign during a controversial players meeting in the immediate aftermath of the bomb announcement.