LIV Golfer teases first Jon Rahm row as £450m deal set to ruffle some feathers
Jon Rahm wants LIV to listen to his requests
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LIV Golf star Talor Gooch has hinted that Jon Rahm will face plenty of fightback if he tries to get the format changed to a 72-hole competition in the Saudi League.
Rahm was confirmed as LIV Golf's latest blockbuster signing last week in a switch that many feel could move the needle for the PIF-funded project.
While Rahm had not joined Rory McIlroy in condemning the players who had joined LIV when it was first created, he was not a fan of the 54-hole format.
Speaking at the 2022 US Open, Rahm said: “To be honest, part of the (LIV) format is not really appealing to me.
Talor Gooch wants to keep the 54-hole format
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"Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple.
“I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.”
Fast forward 18 months and Rahm is now set to compete in the very format he declared his distaste for.
But the reigning Masters champion hinted that he would be urging for some changes to LIV Golf during his unveiling last week.
He said: “I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and maybe see some changes in the future for the better of the game.”
However, Gooch would be one player currently on the LIV Golf tour that would push back on any move to a 72-hole competition.
LIV were denied their latest application to receive Official World Golf Ranking points due to the 54-hole format.
But while Gooch, who won three LIV titles in 2023 and topped the prize money list with $17million earned, is excited about Rahm's arrival, he explained why he likes the 54-hole format.
“(Rahm) has been vocal about some stuff he didn’t love but he wouldn’t have come to LIV if he thought he was going to win 10 tournaments a year and have no competition,” Talor Gooch told Golf Digest.
“He’s a true competitor. It’s beyond exciting [to have Rahm].
“We haven’t had an open forum discussion with all the players.
“But you get both sides … guys who would welcome (changing to 72 holes) and some guys who are opposed to it.
"Discussions will be had and it’ll be interesting to see what comes of it.
“I think LIV Golf was meant to be something different; I think it’s not supposed to be a carbon copy of the rest of professional golf.
"I lean towards keeping it at 54 holes. Part of it, too, from my experience on the PGA Tour, was Thursdays are just irrelevant from a fan perspective (except for) only a couple times a year.
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“I’ve always been an advocate of ... I think the majors absolutely should be four rounds, but I don't necessarily think everything else should be four rounds, almost similar to tennis.
"We want to do everything we can to make the most entertaining product but [also] the product that's going to reveal the best golfer.”