“He's clearly made his intentions known” – PGA Tour’s Mackenzie Hughes says Jon Rahm made a ‘big show’ of his LIV Golf transfer

Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf shocked the golf world, but Mackenzie Hughes says that he saw it coming.

The Canadian PGA Tour star has revealed that he was expecting the Spaniard’s defection sooner. The golfer claimed that the rumors of Rahm’s move had been in the air for so long that several players were looking forward to it.

Hughes talked about Rahm's LIV Golf move at The Sentry 2024 pre-event press conference. The golfer, who finished second at the RSM Classic in November last year, said that he heard “some rumblings of that (Rahm’s LIV move) discussion” at the event.

Furthermore, Hughes said that the Masters champion made a ‘big show’ of his LIV Golf transfer by signing the contract on national television wearing a 'big leatherman jacket.' He added that Rahm was fully committed to LIV and “clearly made his intentions known” with the move.

Mackenzie Hughes said:

“I don't know how long it was, but it seemed like a long time those rumors (Rahm’s LIV move) were flying around for a while, and we never really heard what was happening one way or the other and then he finally announced it.

"I knew well before he announced that he was going, what was going to happen if he did go. I knew that was sort of what was going to happen, it was just a matter of how fast the (PGA) Tour could make all of that stuff I guess fall into place."

He continued:

"I think I'm appreciative of them (PGA), I guess changing some of their policies because in the past it had been okay if you hit a shot on LIV or you've resigned your membership, ‘we're going to remove you from the FC (FedEx Cup) points list.’

"But, now, I felt like the situation with Rahm was different. He went on national television and basically signed a letter of intent, if you will, in a big leatherman jacket and made a big show of it. And so, I felt like okay he's clearly made his intentions known."

It's pertinent to note that Hughes’ comments on Jon Rahm come just a month after he slammed the United States Golf Association for the golf ball rollback rule.

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Jon Rahm says ‘money was one of the reasons’ he joined LIV Golf

The reigning Masters champion reportedly signed a $566 million contract with LIV Golf.

According to reports, Rahm was offered the biggest contract by the circuit, which includes the World No. 3 getting a franchise team of his own. Interestingly, the Spaniard also admitted that money affected his defection.

Jon Rahm said after his move to LIV Golf in December, as quoted by Golfweek:

“Money was one of the reasons. I mean, I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you, so it was definitely one of the reasons. … this decision was made for many reasons (like) what I thought was best for me, don’t get me wrong. … It’s a great deal. Right? I had a really good offer in front of me, and it’s one of the reasons why I took it.”

It will be interesting to see how the former PGA Tour star fits in the Saudi-backed series.