"I thought it was a joke" - Jon Rahm speaks out against the PGA Tour's handling of the PIF merger

Jon Rahm revealed that he learned about the PGA-PIF merger just a couple of minutes before the announcement was made public, and he felt like someone was joking with him.

After a year of tension, the PGA Tour and the PIF decided to come to common ground a couple of months ago. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan jointly announced the formation of a new common entity, temporarily named NewCo.

The decision came as a shock to everyone, as most of the professionals from both circuits weren't aware of the decision and only learned about it on the day of the announcement.

On Monday, July 31, Rahm spoke about his feelings in detail in the podcast with Alejandro Larrazabal and Fernández-Castaño.

He said, as per Nuclr Golf:

"2 minutes before the announcement came out, someone from the PGA Tour contacted me and told me everything. I thought it was a joke. And this is what they should have done from the beginning. Instead, they generated division, then decided to come together again.

“I hope they reach an agreement. I think LIV will continue; from what I understood when I talked to their players, none of them intend to return to the PGA Tour. They left for a reason.”

Jon Rahm has been one of the few golfers on the PGA Tour who has not been vocal against the Saudi-backed circuit. In fact, there were rumors of him joining the rival circuit soon.

Earlier this year, Rahm expressed that the recent positive changes made by the PGA Tour, such as an increase in prize money, were only due to the emergence of LIV Golf as a threat.

He was quoted as saying via Golfweek:

"To an extent, we should be thankful. This threat has made the PGA Tour want to change things."

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Is Jon Rahm playing in the 2023 Wyndham Championship?

Jon Rahm during the fourth day of the 2023 Open Championship

The PGA Tour is now in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Wyndham Championship, the final event of the 2022–23 season before the Playoffs.

The 2023 Wyndham Championship will be played from Thursday, August 3, to Sunday, August 6, with 14 of the top 50 players competing in it. Just like the other top-ranked players, the Spaniard has also skipped this week.

The World No. 3 golfer was last seen playing at the Open Championship, where he ended as a runner-up after an incredible comeback over the weekend. Jon Rahm is already at the top of the FedEx Cup standings, so it is understandable that he wants to be fresh for the Memphis event next week.

The Wyndham Championship is the last chance for many players who are on the verge of missing out this year to make it into the playoffs. World No. 20 golfer Sam Burns is the highest-ranked player in action this week.

The event will be played at the Sedgefield Country Club and will have a prize pool of $7.6 million. The winner will receive $1,368,000.