Jon Rahm’s first start since announcing his impending departure from LIV Golf will come in a familiar part of the world, even if the tournament itself will be new to him.
The two-time major champion will make his debut at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship from Nov. 5-8 at Yas Links, giving Rahm a high-profile appearance on the DP World Tour less than a month after his attorney said the Spaniard will not be part of LIV Golf’s restructured league going forward.
Rahm will join a field that includes Rory McIlroy and defending champion Aaron Rai in the opening event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs. The leading 70 available players in the Race to Dubai standings will compete in Abu Dhabi before the top 50 advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship
in Dubai the following week.
For Rahm, the appearance also comes as questions remain about where he will play beyond 2026. Rahm is leaving LIV after determining the proposed terms of the league’s restructuring were “unacceptable,” according to his attorney, John Beck.
“Mr. Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0,” Beck said during an Oct. 7 hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael B. Kaplan.
LIV and Rahm are working to finalize a separation agreement.
Rahm’s exit represents another significant turn for a player who was one of LIV’s biggest acquisitions when he joined the league in December 2023. The former world No. 1 reportedly received a deal worth more than $300 million along with an ownership stake that pushed the overall value beyond $500 million. He went on to win four individual LIV titles and three season-long individual championships.
His departure comes during an upheaval for LIV. The league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September, five months after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it would no longer bankroll the league. Bankruptcy filings listed Rahm among several players owed money, with $7.5 million due to the Spaniard.
Where Rahm goes next remains less clear. The 31-year-old remains a member of the DP World Tour, giving him an immediate place to play. His PGA Tour future is considerably more complicated. Rahm is exempt into the four majors and The Players Championship through his 2023 Masters victory, but there is no established path giving him immediate access to the PGA Tour’s signature events.
Race to Dubai current points rankings:
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Sept. 15 that the Tour does not plan to revive the program that helped Brooks Koepka return earlier this year. That option had also been offered to Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith at the beginning of the season, but all three declined.
For now, Rahm’s immediate future runs through the Middle East, where he has enjoyed some of the best results of his career.
Five of Rahm’s 10 DP World Tour victories have come in Rolex Series events, tied with Tyrrell Hatton for the most. Three came in the UAE at the DP World Tour Championship in 2017, 2019 and 2022, and the other two came at the Irish Open in 2017 and 2019.
The trip to Abu Dhabi was already notable as Rahm’s first appearance in the championship.
“I’ve had some of the best weeks of my career in the UAE, so I’m really looking forward to playing in Abu Dhabi for the first time,” Rahm said. “I’ve heard great things about Yas Links, and I’m looking forward to playing there. It’ll be great to get started in Abu Dhabi before heading to Dubai the following week.”
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator for the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jon Rahm to make Abu Dhabi debut in first start since announcing LIV Golf exit
