LIV made Jon Rahm rich, but it’s impoverishing his long-term legacy

” and “Why not? ” — began the second round atop the leaderboard. You had to scroll some, past 20-year-old amateur Ethan Fang in his Masters debut, beyond 60-year-old Jose Maria Olazabal in his 37th appearance, down to where 66-year-old Fred Couples landed in his 41st.

Tied with him was Jon Rahm , a pre-tournament favorite but carrying a yoke of his own. This is the third Masters since Rahm won in 2023, and the third at which he’s trudged down Magnolia Lane in the midst of a distracting narrative of his own making. In ’24, it was his first appearance in the broader golf ecosystem since jumping to LIV four months earlier, so he had to face questions about the about-face.

A year later, he was coming off a lousy season in the major championships that fueled suggestions that LIV was diminishing him as a competitive force. This time, it’s his ongoing disciplinary war with the DP World Tour, in which he refuses to accept the generous settlement terms that eight LIV colleagues hurdled him to take, refuses to pay fines that have been legally judged as fair and proportionate, and refuses to see sense — insisting there’s no difference between his past membership of the PGA Tour (a partner that financially underwrites the European circuit) and his current membership of LIV (a hostile enterprise that has taken sponsors, tournaments and venues from the Europeans). If obtuse obstinacy were an Olympic sport, Rahm could sweep the medals himself.

More: Masters 2026: Scoreboard, stories, more His recent performances inside the ropes do much to enhance his financial standing, but little for legacy building. He’s made five starts this season on LIV, finishing first, second three times and fifth. In 2025, 13 starts yielded a dozen top 10s and a tie for 11th.