World No 1 Scottie Scheffler has admitted he was 'surprised' by Jon Rahm's decision to 'take the money' and move over to LIV Golf.
Rahm sent shockwaves through the golfing world when he opted to sign on for the Saudi-backed breakaway league at the end of last year.
Some golfers have taken aim at the 29-year-old and criticised his decision to jump ship.
And Scheffler has now admitted he was 'surprised' by Rahm's decision, while also saying his rival 'took the money' in the process.
Scottie Scheffler has admitted he was surprised by Jon Rahm's decision to join LIV Golf
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"To be completely honest, Jon was one of my favourite people to play against," he told Sky Sports.
"We had some good battles throughout the years and I was pretty surprised that he decided to take the money and leave.
"I've got a lot of good friends over there. Brooks left, DJ left and I definitely miss seeing a lot of those guys.
"They were a big part of my life out here on tour and it's still a bit weird that they're not around.
"We'll see what happens in the future, but I definitely miss competing against some of those guys."
The world No 1 did say, however, that he harboured no grudge against Rahm and the other players to cross the divide.
"It's one of those deals, it's just kind of a strange time in the game of golf," he added.
"A lot of the guys that left early were a bit in the later years of their career and they made their decisions, but I have no ill feelings towards any of the guys.
"We're just in a weird state of the game."
A potential pathway back for players to switch between both the PGA TOur and LIV Golf circuit remains uncertain.
Yet while Scheffler doesn't begrudge anybody moving out to LIV, he does feel it would be 'strange' for players to return to the PGA Tour 'like nothing happened'.
"By the PGA Tour, if nothing happened and if they [LIV Golf players] came back like nothing happened, I think it would be a bit strange," he added.
"When guys were thinking about leaving and this tour kind of came about, lifetime bans and stuff like that were thrown around.
"If they came back like nothing ever happened, then it would not be popular among the membership.
"We'll see what happens in the next couple of years.
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Scottie Sheffler has admitted he would find it 'strange' to welcome back LIV Golf players with open arms
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"Who knows what's going to happen in the world of golf - things just keep changing.
"I just do my best to try and stay in my own lane and try and play tournaments."
Rahm, meanwhile, said back in December that he'd made the decision to join LIV Golf with his family a big factor in his thinking.
“What [LIV] had to offer was maybe worth the risk of not playing a Ryder Cup," he admitted.
“The decision, like I said, was for me and my family.
Jon Rahm caused controversy with his decision to join the LIV Golf tour
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"So what I believe is the better path for me right now, it was worth risking the Ryder Cup.”
Addressing the controversy surrounding his move, he added: "I believe most of my friends are going to have my back.
"And the very few that I’ve been able to speak to were pretty much like family, already support me.
"But it’s been tough. It’s been tough. It’s a topic of conversation that was out there on the golf course every single day. People making jokes, people thinking that they know what they’re talking about, this and that.
"It has been difficult to just focus on the task at hand and even just practice.”
