Jon Rahm Rejects Suggestion LIV Golf Cost Him Major Titles
The Spaniard says his own game, not his switch to LIV Golf, explains a lean run in the majors, despite Paul McGinley's claim he 'suffered the most' from the move.
Jon Rahm has dismissed the idea that his spell in LIV Golf is responsible for his recent struggles in the majors, speaking ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The two-time major winner made the comments after winning the Abu Dhabi Championship, his first tournament since LIV Golf's collapse, according to Yahoo Sports.
Asked whether a return to the established tours might usher in a new golden era for his career, Rahm instead pushed back on the premise that LIV had held him back at all.
"We've got to stop blaming LIV for me playing poorly at the Majors," he said, as reported by Golf Monthly.
Rahm's defence came despite fresh criticism from former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, who told Sky Sports that the Spaniard had "lost some prime years" in terms of winning majors because of his decision to join the breakaway league.
McGinley, who said he was "so disappointed" when Rahm made the move, argued it had denied him the chance to be competing at the top of the game in the way Scottie Scheffler currently is.
"Jon Rahm, you could argue that he is the one that has suffered the most from going to LIV," McGinley said, adding that the switch saw Rahm "take himself out of the frying pan at the very, very top at Major championships, which is what he did by going to LIV".
McGinley went further, suggesting that "in his heart of hearts Jon knew was probably a mistake" to leave for LIV in the first place.
Rahm, however, maintained that his own form rather than the circuit he played on was behind his major disappointments, according to Yahoo Sports.
He described his 2026 season overall as a good one, while admitting he had been disappointed with his performances in three of the four majors this year.
Yahoo Sports also noted a moment from last year in which Rahm had words with a spectator who had whistled while he was taking his backswing during The Open.
Rahm now arrives at the DP World Tour Championship, the final event of the European season, with a genuine chance of claiming the Race to Dubai title after his Abu Dhabi win marked his first appearance since LIV Golf's demise.
How he performs in Dubai, and in next year's majors, will go a long way to settling the debate between his own version of events and McGinley's assessment of a career that lost ground during his time away from the established tours.