Although LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil has insisted leading up to this week's Indianapolis event that the league has a major investor looking to push forward into next season, the smoke surrounding the league — including the cancellation of the season-ending Team Championship in Detroit — means this week's tournament could certainly close the book on the circuit.
While there's little doubt that LIV's liberal spending helped to shape major changes to the PGA Tour schedule and infrastructure, one of the more interesting storylines surrounding the league is the double talk coming from players, many of whom originally abhorred and then fully embraced the league.
It seems like it wasn't so long ago that some of the world's top golfers were denouncing the possibility of moving to a Saudi-backed circuit, especially after Phil Mickelson's comments, which stirred controversy outside the sports world.
But in fact, many of these conversations came as far back as 2022 (remember that year?) and while they haven't aged well, they have certainly made for some interesting reading.
Some have changed drastically in their stance. Others have remained consistent. Here's a look at a few:
Dustin Johnson (Feb. 20, 2022): 'I am fully committed to the PGA Tour'
From Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio: The world No. 6 and two-time major champion released a statement through the PGA Tour stating he is fully committed to the PGA Tour.
“Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of speculation about an alternative tour; much of which seems to have included me and my future in professional golf,” Johnson said. “I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.
“While there will always be areas where our Tour can improve and evolve, I am thankful for our leadership and the many sponsors who make the PGA Tour golf’s premier tour,” he said.
Dustin Johnson (June 7, 2022): 'I have chosen what is best for myself and my family'
From Golfweek: When the field for the LIV Golf Series opener in London was released, there were many names that came with little surprise. Then there was Dustin Johnson.
"It's hard to talk about the consequences that this could have, but I've given up my membership on the PGA Tour and that's the plan for now.
"Ultimately, I decided to come in and do this," Johnson said. "I'm excited about this project. Obviously, the Ryder Cup is amazing and something that has meant a lot to me. I hope I get the chance to do it again, but I don't make the rules.
"I have chosen what is best for myself and my family."
Dustin Johnson (2026): 'I have no (expletive) idea right now'
From Golfweek: Johnson is taking it day by day and certainly not losing sleep over the future of LIV Golf. "I have no (expletive) idea right now," Johnson said, matter-of-factly, when asked about his future.
This is all because of LIV, the four-year-old golf league now on life support. Johnson's take on the future of LIV was not quite as optimistic when asked at the PGA Championship as it was when he answered a similar question a week ago at LIV's event in Virginia.
Then, he was the good soldier, saying LIV is in a "pretty good spot," and he is "confident in the people running the show."
But after 36 holes at the PGA Championship, Johnson first complimented CEO Scott O'Neil for the job he is doing, before giving an outlook on LIV's future that was not quite as optimistic.
"I think your guess is as good as mine on what happens at the end of this year," he said.
Bryson DeChambeau (Feb. 20, 2022): 'As long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I'
From Golfweek: Just hours after Dustin Johnson released a statement through the PGA Tour stating he is fully committed to the PGA Tour, Bryson DeChambeau followed suit with a message from his own Twitter account.
“While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I. As of now, I am focused on getting myself healthy and competing again soon. I appreciate all the support.”
Bryson DeChambeau (June 7, 2023): 'I do feel bad for the PGA Tour players'
From Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan: “There’s a lot more behind closed doors that’s been going on. What I can tell you is that H-E, Yasir, has always been a staunch supporter of golf globally, and wanting to grow the game.
“I think this is the best thing that could ever happen to the game of golf. The fans are going to get what they want, the players are going to experience something a little different, a little new, but I truly believe the game of golf wins.
“I do feel bad for the PGA Tour players because they were told one thing and something else happened, and our side, we were told one thing and it’s come to fruition. It does stink a little bit from my perspective that the PGA Tour players are not necessarily winning. I hope they can find a way to make sure that they are valued in the same way that we are over at LIV. I think that’ll happen, it’s just going to take some time with the players pushing back a little bit and trying to figure out what gives them the best opportunity to be successful.”
Bryson DeChambeau (May 6, 2026): 'I'd love to grow my YouTube channel'
From Golfweek's Adam Schupak: Bryson DeChambeau is doubling down on his previous claim that if LIV Golf fails to find new investors or isn’t able to sign him to another lucrative contract, his backup plan may be leaning into his YouTube channel and focusing on the majors.
"I think, from my perspective, I'd love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more," DeChambeau told ESPN.com on Tuesday at this week's LIV Golf event at Trump National Golf Club in Washington D.C. "I would love to. I'd love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I'd love to play tournaments that want me."
Pat Perez (Feb. 16, 2022): 'They talk about growing the game. I don't see how that group over there is growing the game'
Pat Perez during a media interview at the Genesis Invitational:
"Our purses are going up. Jay Monahan's done a phenomenal job getting our purses to go up. We've got $12 million events now, $20 million events and they're only going to keep climbing. I heard in five years the FedExCup winner is going to win $52 million. That's pretty awesome, and as he should, as he should. Jay and the Tour, from what I understand, is doing a phenomenal job. They talk about growing the game. I don't see how that group over there is growing the game. The Tour has done phenomenal things. They do phenomenal things for the communities that we go to. They have programs for underprivileged now. That's how you grow the game.
"I don't know, Phil's made a fortune. I don't know how much more fortune he needs, but if he is really trying to help our Tour, I'd be behind him for that. I just don't know about it. Like I said, I don't know enough about what this guy's saying or this guy's saying or what's going on with the tour because I haven't been approached by anybody, so I really have no idea of what the Saudi group is trying to do, where they're going to play, do they have spots. What I do know is that this tournament's going to be here next year, and every tournament we play in's awesome and that's what I do know. And I'm thankful that I have this job that I can do this week in and week out.
"You know, I would never say anything bad about the Tour because I've had an unbelievable life doing it, and I still have the Champ Tour to think about it. I'm exempt on the Champions Tour for as long as I want to play. That's an unbelievable type of retirement thing on top of the retirement package that we have already. I've got no reason to bitch about anything. I'm kind of one of those lucky guys that I think I see it the right way. You know, bottom line, I don't know what Phil said, I don't really care, but if he's trying to help our Tour, that would be great because he has the name. And if Tiger got involved and Rory and these guys, our top names that are going to align with him to help that, I'm all for it.
"Like I said, I've made crumbs compared to him and those crumbs pay nice. It's still pretty good money taking his crumbs. That's kind of where I'm at with the whole thing. I don't know enough about what's going on, I just kind of hear a little here and there. I just don't know. But I'm all for building the Tour, but like I said, I think the PGA Tour's a phenomenal place to play, you know, and I'm lucky to be here."
Pat Perez (March 2, 2022): '(Phil Mickelson's) apology was such horseshit ... he was in it for himself'
From Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio: Pat Perez teed off on Phil Mickelson. Speaking recently with former PGA Tour pro Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on GOLF’s Subpar podcast, Perez, as is his nature, didn’t hold back as he addressed Mickelson’s involvement with the Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League and his disparaging remarks about both the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour.
“His apology was such horseshit,” Perez said. “In the fact that he thought he was trying to make it better for the players. He was in it for one reason. If anybody thinks he wasn’t in it for his own pocket, and his pocket only, is (blanking) high. They are (blanking) crazy.
“He was in it for himself. Why he went down two different avenues and basically buried himself on both, I can’t figure it out.”
Pat Perez (June 11, 2022): 'I just can't wait to get started'
Pat Perez is ready to rock 🏌️♂️#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/b5PLOuC0vp
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 11, 2022
"DJ was about a hundred percent the reason that I have this deal. Anyway, he wanted to be part of it. I've been on Tour 21 years and you know I've got three wins, I've made 335 cuts, but DJ wanted me on his team and you know, you have the opportunity to follow a world-class player like that, you know, with two majors and a FedExCup, 24 wins and former number one for, you know, a really long time.
"You know, it's really an honor to be by his side and to be on his team. And, you know, I've got more motivation now for whatever reason. I'm just so excited to have this kind of this, you know, next chapter my life, like I said up and grind it out of the PGA Tour for 21 years, you know, it's been, it's been a fun run on the PGA Tour — great people there and everything.
"I'm just excited to, you know, kind of slow it down a little bit. I've got two young kids. Instead of being on the road for 33, you know, 35 weeks a year. I'm gonna be home 38 weeks here. Now, you know, my daughter is, growing up fast, my son's about to start walking.
"And the fact that, you know, I'm 46, I get to kind of have this, you know, rebirth and you know, and be home now more with my family and raise my kids and kind of enjoy my second half, while still playing some golf.
"I'm really excited about the team aspect like I said, and, you know, I think it's gonna be phenomenal. I just can't wait to get started."
Pat Perez (Oct. 31, 2022): 'I don’t care. I’m paid. I don’t give a damn'
From Golfweek: “All the push-back, all the negative comments, everything we’ve gotten, at this point I really don’t care. I mean, I don’t care. I’m paid. I don’t give a damn,” Perez said with a laugh in the media scrum after the 4Aces won the event to take home the top prize of $16 million.
“My team played unbelievable this year. I feel like I’m really part of something that I’ve never been part of, other than me and my caddie, we’ve just been just us our whole life. To have these guys and their caddies and families and coaches and everybody, it’s just one big family now. I just couldn’t be any happier. It’s unbelievable.”
Pat Perez (April 15, 2026): 'The [PGA] Tour gave me a lifeline'
From Golfweek's Todd Kelly: Perez spent three years as a player and one as a broadcaster for LIV Golf. He was reinstated by the PGA Tour in January, but has a lot of work to do to become a full member once again.
"I'm just grateful and fortunate to be here. The [PGA] Tour gave me a lifeline to come back and play. Couldn't be more appreciative for it. It's going to be next year, which is, you know, not the end of the world."
Rory McIlroy (Feb. 16, 2022): 'You’ve got the top players in the world saying no, so that has to tell you something'
From Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio: I’m so sick of it. That’s Rory McIlroy’s take on talking, hearing and being asked about the proposed Super Golf League, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund and would rival the PGA Tour. The noise has ramped up on the Greg Norman-led league that would pay exorbitant guaranteed money and potentially siphon off some of the game’s biggest names.
“Oh, I’m so sick of it. I guess I’m intrigued who would (join). Certainly for the younger guys, like it just seems a massive risk,” McIlroy said. “I can maybe make sense of it for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their career, for sure. I don’t think that’s what a rival golf league is really; that’s not what they’re going to want, is it?
“They don’t want some sort of league that’s like a pre‑Champions tour. I don’t know. I understand the financial part of it for guys that are later on in their career. But you look at the people that have already said no. (Jon) Rahm, No. 1 in the world, Collin Morikawa, myself. Like, you’ve got the top players in the world saying no, so that has to tell you something.”
Rory McIlroy (July 13, 2023): 'If LIV Golf was the last place on Earth to play golf, I would retire'
From Golfweek: “If LIV Golf was the last place on Earth to play golf, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it.”
Rory McIlroy (May 12, 2026): 'That was one that I did get wrong'
From Golfweek's Adam Schupak: Rory McIlroy is glad he was wrong about LIV Golf. Following the Framework Agreement signing in June 2023, McIlroy came to believe that the best end result for men’s professional golf was for the PGA Tour to accept funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment and bring LIV Golf into the fold.
“I can admit when I'm wrong, and that was one that I did get wrong,” he said ahead of the 108th PGA Championship. “I think it was always a possibility to happen. Look, I think everyone knows like with everything that's happening in the Middle East, that had a lot to do; but whenever you have funding tied so much to the geopolitical landscape in the world, that's a tricky road to navigate. Yeah, their priorities shifted, and that lives LIV in a pretty precarious spot, but again, that was always -- it was always a possibility.”
Phil Mickelson (Feb. 17, 2022): 'They’re scary motherf—–s to get involved with'
From Golfweek's Adam Schupak: If you thought Phil Mickelson had laid his cards on the table when he called the PGA Tour “obnoxiously greedy,” you ain’t seen nothing yet.
“They’re scary motherf—–s to get involved with,” he said. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They’ve [the PGA Tour] been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”
Phil Mickelson (Feb. 22, 2022): 'It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words'
From Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio: Just five minutes before a player meeting began at the Honda Classic, Phil Mickelson addressed unflattering comments about the PGA Tour and others associated with the proposed Saudi Arabia-backed, Greg Norman-led Super Golf League that would siphon off some of the game’s biggest stars and rival the PGA Tour.
“Although it doesn’t look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans,” Mickelson wrote. “There is the problem of off-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions. It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I’m beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this.”
Phil Mickelson (June 8, 2022): 'Nobody here condones human rights violations, and nobody here is trying to make up for anything'
From Golfweek's Adam Schupak: Phil Mickelson made his first public comments since joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf International Series. While he sat on a stage alongside his fellow teammates of “Team Hi-Flyer” that he picked the night before during a player draft, Mickelson answered every one of the 26 questions during their group presser.
“I said earlier, I don’t condone human rights violations. I don’t know how I can be any more clear. I understand your question, but again, I love this game of golf. I’ve seen the good that it’s done and I see the opportunity for LIV Golf to do a lot of good for the game throughout the world and I’m excited to be part of this opportunity.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time on the PGA Tour. I’ve had some incredible experiences, some great memories. I have a lot of strong opinions on things that should and could be a lot better. One of the mistakes I made is voicing those publicly. So, I will really make an effort to keep those conversations behind closed doors going forward. I think that’s the way to be the most efficient and get the most out of it.”
“I’ve had an awesome time. I had a four-month break from the game that I have not had from the game in over three decades. I have had an opportunity to spend time with my wife, Amy, a bunch and travel to parts of the world and spend time at a place we have in Montana skiing and hike in Sedona [Arizona], what a beautiful place that is, and it’s given me time to continue some of the work and therapy on some of the areas that I’m deficient in my life and given me time to reflect on what I want to do going forward and what’s best for me and what’s best for the people I care most about.
“I understand that many people have very strong opinions and may disagree with my decision, and I can empathize with that. But at this time, this is an opportunity that gives me a chance to have the most balance in my life going forward and I think will do a lot of good for the game.
“This is an opportunity that allows me to have a balance where I can still be more present and be more engaged with the people I really care about and that’s why when I think about being part of LIV Golf I feel so good about it.
“I think that the opportunity that it provides me to play, compete, bring the sport throughout the world, play less, and have a better balance in life on and off the golf course. I know that it gives me a lot of positives personally and professionally, and I believe it does the same for everyone else in the field.”
Phil Mickelson (Oct. 20, 2023): 'We’ll just keep getting better and better and getting better and better players'
From Golfweek: “I’m excited about who’s coming for next year and over time, we’ll just keep getting better and better and getting better and better players and that’s the game plan and I love the commitment. I love that I’m a part of it. I know that, just like Jimmy Dunne said in Congress, like it’s exactly what’s gonna happen.
“The reality is I’ve been fielding calls, as we all have, from players that are free agents to PGA Tour players to DP World Tour players that want to come over and the spots probably going to be filled by the time the qualifying tournament is here,” Mickelson said earlier in the week. “I think the merger talks allow for it. I think it kind of opens the door for it, yeah.”
Phil Mickelson's attorney: (June 12, 2026): 'There is a great deal of misinformation circulating'
From Golfweek's Todd Kelly: Phil Mickelson denies a report accusing him of inappropriate physical contact with a female employee at a California golf club. Through his attorney, Mickelson has called the story "misinformation" and is threatening legal action for defamation.
Mickelson, a member of LIV Golf, hasn't played since March. He bowed out of the Masters, attributing his absense to a family medical issue. He later missed the PGA Championship and is not entered in the U.S. Open next week.Explore how to live where you love to play Access community guides, golf real estate insights, trusted agent connections, and content built for passionate golfers.
"There is a great deal of misinformation circulating and, while Phil’s full attention is devoted to a private family health matter, he has retained defamation counsel and is determined to hold accountable any publication or individual trafficking in speculation or false rumors," attorney Tom Clare said in a statement.
Brooks Koepka (Feb. 9, 2022): 'I'm with the PGA Tour, it's where I'm staying'
From Golfweek's Todd Kelly: After his nine holes of pro-am golf Wednesday (at the WM Phoenix Open) in a group that included Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, Koepka was asked about his use of an emoji on social media in response to the “obnoxious greed” comment.
“It’s been pretty clear for a long time now that I’m with the PGA Tour, it’s where I’m staying. I’m very happy. I think they do things the right way. People I want to do business with. I’m happy to be here. And I don’t really talk about it with many other players.”
Brooks Koepka (June 28, 2022): 'My opinion changed'
From the Palm Beach Post's Tom D'Angelo: "Just my opinion. My opinion changed," Koepka said Tuesday during his first media availability since leaving the PGA Tour last week and taking what is believed to be at least $100 million to take his talents to LIV Golf.
"I feel very comfortable with the decision that was made. I'm very happy and I did what was best for me."
Brooks Koepka (July 8, 2026): 'I'm able to be around my son a lot more'
From Golfweek's Nick Stavas: It's been more than six months since Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf and returned to the PGA Tour, and it seems the five-time major champion is right where he wants to be.
"I think I've been most pleased with — this is probably going to come across a little selfish — but just the happiness that I have," Koepka said of his first season back on the PGA Tour after a three-year stint with LIV Golf. "Maybe a weight lifted off my shoulders, or it's not — I kept [the move] a secret for a little while, so it's not the easiest thing. But I just see the happiness. I'm able to be around my son a lot more. Jena is able to be around and they are able to travel to a lot more events. Things like that, that stuff brings me happiness."
Collin Morikawa (Feb. 15, 2022): 'The only way I can start thinking about other tours ... I need concrete evidence'
From Golfweek's Steve DiMeglio: Morikawa was asked about the potential Super League backed by Saudi Arabia that is expected to pay out exorbitant guaranteed money to players and would be a direct rival to the PGA Tour. While Morikawa has said he’s been approached, he’s waiting on more details.
“I’m all for the PGA Tour,” he said. “Has it opened up things for us as professional golfers to open up things for the PGA Tour to look at what to do better? Absolutely. We’ve seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad, some that are still going to be amended I’m sure as time goes on.
“Right now you look at the best players that I see and they’re all sticking with the PGA Tour and that’s where I kind of stay and that’s where I belong.
“The only way I can start thinking about other tours, other leagues, whatever you call it, I need concrete evidence. I need to be able to see a sheet in front of me and know what’s out there, right? And as of now, for what I know, I don’t know what’s out there. All I’ve heard are rumors, all I’ve heard is talk and that’s hard to do, right? I’m still open to learning because I want to learn what’s out there.
“I want to know the details, too.”
Collin Morikawa (June 21, 2022): 'Not to say I told you so but … I told you so'
From Golfweek: Despite rumors circulating that he would be the next to jump ship for the rival golf league, whose second event is scheduled for June 30-July 2 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Oregon, Morikawa, ranked fourth in the world, addressed the speculation and put it to bed with a couple of tweets on Tuesday.
"Last week at my press conference, I said the media loves creating drama. Sure enough, I woke up this morning to everyone thinking I’m next. Not to say I told you so but … I told you so.
To state for the record, once again, you all are absolutely wrong. I’ve said it since February at Riviera that I’m here to stay on the @PGATOUR and nothing has changed. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some cereal to pour in my milk."
Henrik Stenson (March 2022): (On being named Ryder Cup captain) '... dreams do come true'
From Golfweek: It was announced that Henrik Stenson will be the European captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy. The 45-year-old from Sweden has been a member of five European Ryder Cup teams, most recently in 2018 at Le Golf National in France, and boasts a 10-7-2 record.
"The Ryder Cup is golf, and sport, at its very best. I got goosebumps every time I pulled on a European shirt as a player and that will be magnified in the role of Captain. While it is great for me personally, it is also great for my country and all the players from Sweden who have played for Europe with such distinction since Joakim Haeggman became the first in 1993.
"When I started out as a professional golfer, it was beyond my wildest dreams that, one day, I would follow in the footsteps of legends of the game such as Seve and be the European Ryder Cup Captain. But today proves that, sometimes, dreams do come true."
Henrik Stenson (July 20, 2022): 'It has become clear that he will not be able to fulfill certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe'
From Golfweek's Adam Schupak: Henrik Stenson, who was named European Ryder Cup captain in March, has been relieved of his duties by the DP World Tour, it was announced, effective immediately. Stenson is expected to join LIV Golf, perhaps as early as today.
“In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfill certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior to his announcement as Captain on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of Captain,” the DP World Tour said in a press release.
Stenson, 46, had been linked to LIV Golf for several months, but effectively changed his mind following the publication of Phil Mickelson’s incendiary comments late last year, which seemed to postpone the launch of the rival league. Stenson committed to the Ryder Cup captaincy and even took an initial visit to Rome to begin planning for the job. But LIV debuted in June and is scheduled to hold its third invitation next week in New Jersey. It has paid enormous guaranteed contracts to woo the likes of U.S. Ryder Cup stars Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka and European stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Sergio Garcia to jump ship. Stenson, a former British Open champ, has slipped to No. 171 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Joaquin Niemann (June 16, 2022): 'If I was 40? Maybe it would be different'
Joaquin Niemann told Golf.com at the 2022 U.S. Open that he wanted to play against the best players in the world.
“They’re still here and as long as they’re here, I’m not going anywhere. No chance,” he said in June. “If I was 40? Maybe it would be different.”
Niemann was one of six players announced to be joining LIV Golf ahead of its Boston event.
Harold Varner III (March 10, 2022): 'I'm obviously not going'
When Varner won the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour earlier this year, rumors began to swirl that he may leave the PGA Tour. He sat down with commissioner Jay Monahan in March and went on to say, “I’ve always supported the PGA Tour when they needed me, and I want to be there.”
“I'm obviously not going,” Varner then said to SI in June after receiving a "nuts" offer from LIV Golf. "I've spoken with (PGA Tour commissioner) Jay (Monahan), I've spoken with a lot of people I look up to and it just wasn't worth it to me for what it was worth. That's pretty simple.”
One of those people he looks up to? That'd be Michael Jordan, the NBA legend who advised him to stay with the Tour.
“I think it helps because I'm sure he's had decisions like this long before I was even born,” said Varner, "but there's been a lot of people that I look up to that are obviously super wealthy and super successful and different places in the world.”
Varner will make his LIV Golf debut in Boston.
Harold Varner III (Aug. 11, 2023): 'People that tell you money doesn't change you are (expletive) stupid'
From a full Q&A with Varner and Golfweek:
"People that tell you money doesn’t change you are (expletive) stupid. I get to help a lot of people, get to do what I want to do when I want to do it, that’s why people work, it’s a (expletive) job.”
Jon Rahm (Feb. 2022): 'Declaring my fealty'
From Golfweek: “I wanted to take this time to say that this is my official, my one and only time to talk about this, where I am officially declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour,” Rahm said ahead of the 2022 Genesis Invitational. “I’m a PAC [Player Advisory Council] member and I have a lot of belief in Jay Monahan and the product.
“There’s been a lot of talk and speculation on the Saudi league and it’s just not something that I believe is best for me and my future in golf and I think the best legacy I can accomplish is on the PGA Tour.
“Everybody’s free to make their own choice, it’s as simple as that. All I can say is from somebody young like myself who has his entire future ahead of him, it doesn’t seem like a smart thing. Again, the only appeal I see is monetary, right? So like I said just earlier on, I think there’s a lot more to be able to play for besides just money on the PGA Tour. There’s history, there’s legacy. At the end of the day, I’m in this to win tournaments, I’m in this to play against the best in the world.”
Jon Rahm (June 2022): 'Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament'
From Golfweek:
“I consider the PGA Tour has done an amazing job giving us the best platform for us to perform. I do see the appeal that other people see towards the LIV Golf. I do see some of the – I’ll put this delicately – points or arguments they can make towards why they prefer it. To be honest, part of the (LIV) format is not really appealing to me. Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple,” Rahm said at the 2022 U.S. Open. “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.”
Jon Rahm (Sept. 2022): 'I wish they could play, but it doesn’t look good'
From Golfweek: “The Ryder Cup is not the PGA Tour and European Tour against LIV – it’s Europe versus the US, period,” Rahm said. “The best of each against the other, and for me the Ryder Cup is above all. I wish they could play, but it doesn’t look good.”
Jon Rahm (June 2023): 'A lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management'
From Golfweek: “I thought my phone was going to catch on fire at one point. There were so many questions that I just couldn’t answer. It’s basically what it was,” Rahm said of the June 6 framework agreement announcement. “I think it was that day at one point I told (wife Kelley) I’m just going to throw my phone in the drawer and not look at it for the next four hours because I can’t deal with this anymore.”
Rahm echoed the sentiment of many when he said he had no warning that such a deal was in the works. He said he wants to believe that Monahan and his leadership is the right one going forward.
“I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management,” he added. “I understand why they had to keep it so secret. I understand we couldn’t make it through a PAC meeting with more than 10 minutes after people spilling the beans right away in some article by you guys already being out there. So I get it. I get the secrecy.
“It’s just not easy as a player that’s been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and see this bombshell. That’s why we’re all in a bit of a state of limbo because we don’t know what’s going on and how much is finalized and how much they can talk about, either.”
Jon Rahm (August 2023): 'I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf'
From Golfweek: “I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf,” Rahm said in Spanish. “I’ve never liked the format. And I always have a good time with Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the practice rounds of majors.
“Phil respects my decision, and I respect his (choice),” Rahm said. “Mickelson has told me that I have no reason to go play for LIV, and he has told me that multiple times.
Jon Rahm (Dec. 2023): 'I am under very strict instructions not to do public events'
From Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan: “I am under very strict instructions not to do public events, which I have imposed on myself a little bit for myself, and for the change I have given to the world of golf in the last week,” Rahm said. “There will be nothing until February, I’m not allowed to.”
Rahm reported signing bonus makes him the world’s richest athlete in 2023, yet he still sees himself as just a normal person.
“I don’t consider that what I do is much different, and that I am more or less important than the rest,” Rahm said. “The only thing is that I’m seen on TV right now and that’s it … hopefully a little less so in the future.”
Jon Rahm (July 21, 2026): 'I can't really be too upset'
From Golfweek's Todd Kelly: Jon Rahm is optimistic.
"I play a game for a living," Rahm said ahead of LIV Golf UK, the league's first event in seven weeks. "I can't really be too upset about how things are going in life. Even though I'm very frustrated on the course very often, off the course I'm very different to what a lot of people think."
"I'm not going to share anything that I can't share with you guys right now."
Tim Schmitt is Golfweek's managing editor. (Editor's note: A version of this story first ran on Golfweek in 2022.)
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: What Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and more said about LIV Golf — before and after
