LIV’s only safe bet is Jon Rahm

In the midst of the storm, Jon Rahm is the lighthouse. The most tumultuous days in LIV’s short history, the Saudi golf league that is seeking investors for next season due to the closure of funding from Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, have been concluded by the Spanish player with a resounding victory in Mexico. After his discreet Masters Tournament (38th place), the Basque golfer made another statement by winning at the Chapultepec course with 21 strokes under par, six ahead of David Puig and seven ahead of Josele Ballester, an unprecedented Spanish clean sweep in the league and a podium of the same nationality that had not been repeated since the competition’s debut in London in June 2022, then with South Africans Schwartzel, Du Plessis, and Grace. And with another particularity: Rahm, Puig, and Ballester were forged at the University of Arizona, a hotbed of Spanish amateur golf.

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Rahm is the only sure bet for a Saudi league that is now navigating in the dark. The PIF has decided to direct the money flowing from oil in other directions (2034 FIFA World Cup and tennis) and investors are being sought “like crazy” in the offices, according to CEO Scott O’Neil. It’s time to sell an economically loss-making business (more than $1.46 billion in losses in the first three seasons), with little following in the United States and limited sporting relevance. Jon Rahm’s appeal is currently the best calling card when picking up the phone to hunt for sponsors.

Second, second, first, fifth, second, and first. Rahm’s sequence of results this season in LIV continues his strong finish from last season and strengthens his position as the master of the Saudi league. Winner of the individual classification in the previous two seasons, this year he already has more points as leader (779) than the second, Bryson DeChambeau (476), and the third, Thomas Detry (251), combined, and rises to 20th place in the world ranking.

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Only the American, who did not play the last day in Mexico due to injury, can overshadow him in terms of results and media power, but not in consistency at the elite level. DeChambeau’s contract ends at the end of this year, and it does not seem that in times of cutbacks he will be able to negotiate a major deal. LIV’s best poster boy is Rahm, linked to the league until 2028 after signing a $300 million deal in 2023 plus a stake in his team, Legion XIII. He was the last major signing for a league that has since focused on young talents making the leap, such as Josele Ballester.

Rahm started the final round at Chapultepec with a two-stroke lead and sealed the victory with a dominant start, leaving a shot for the highlight reel: a drive at 302 kilometers per hour on the par-four third hole, 357 meters that he covered in a single shot to leave the ball just a few feet from the eagle. It was a slam dunk for the contenders who were moving up and down the leaderboard. Rahm, a metronome for whom LIV seems too small, always remained in the clouds. In 31 tournaments, he has 30 top ten finishes and 21 top-five placements, an unparalleled percentage that contrasts with his lesser performance in the majors. In Augusta, he woke up on Sunday again with “zero options” to fight for victory and finished his round before the leaders teed off. From being just another player to number one in LIV, awaiting the next major, the PGA Championship from May 14 to 17. Until then, the league will continue its search for funding, aware that Jon Rahm’s shares are the most valuable.

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LIV Mexico Classification.