Jon Rahm faces $5M penalty to return to PGA Tour after LIV Golf collapse

Jon Rahm opened the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship with a bogey-free, 7-under 65 on Thursday at Yas Links.

He sits tied for second place, three shots behind leader Francesco Laporta, who shot 62.

The round was Rahm's first competitive action since the birth of his fourth child.

He took time off after the BMW PGA Championship in September, where he finished dead last in the field.

That event came shortly after LIV Golf declared bankruptcy and its new investors, BC Partners, withdrew support for LIV 2.0 due to a lack of player commitments.

Rahm has already announced he will not play on LIV in 2027.

His lawyer has confirmed he will not be involved with any LIV 2.0 structure.

On Thursday, Rahm showed no signs of the layoff or the off-course turmoil.

He carded five birdies on the front nine and finished with back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18.

He dominated the four par 5s, gaining three strokes on those holes alone.

The first came after a tremendous approach shot with his 5-iron from the fairway at the par-5 second.

“Sometimes when your expectation is a little lower than usual, where I just kept thinking, listen, if we have a bad day, we have a bad day,” Rahm said.

“But I just kind of took it one shot at a time, made a couple beautiful swings early on, great second shot on 2, and that kind of got things going … gave me some good confidence,” he added.

Rahm admitted he got away with a couple of bad swings.

He pointed to his tee shot on the par-4 third and the par-5 11th — the only 500-plus-yard hole he did not birdie.

“The highlight today was my iron game — very good with the irons, and gave myself plenty of chances and obviously holed a few,” he said.

“I think sometimes it helps to not be overly aggressive. On the hole like 10, I think it’s easy to maybe want to hit driver, but not quite comfortable with the lines, just lay it out, but giving yourself a chance. And overall just trust in your feel more than what you’ve seen in the past. It can be a blessing.”

Rahm said his low expectations helped him settle into a rhythm.

He noted that his home course in Arizona had become overseeded, limiting his preparation.

“I think sometimes when your expectation is a little lower than usual … if we have a bad day, we have a bad day,” he repeated.

The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship is the first of two DP World Tour playoff events.

Bernd Wiesberger and Sam Bairstow also shot 65 and sit T-2 with Rahm.

Bairstow qualified for the tournament after 11 players in the top 70 decided not to make the trip to Abu Dhabi.

“I was on the flight over here, and I got the message that I was playing,” Bairstow said.

Francesco Laporta’s opening 62 came close to breaking the course record set by Paul Waring in 2024 (61).

Rahm’s performance comes amid intense speculation about his future.

The PGA Tour has a one-year suspension rule for former LIV golfers, starting from the last LIV event they played.

For Rahm, that would make him eligible on August 24, 2027.

The PGA Tour has said it will not engage in conversations with former LIV golfers until they provide proof they are free from any contractual obligations to LIV.

Rahm is expected to play on the DP World Tour in the interim.

He has maintained his DP World Tour membership throughout his LIV career, along with Tyrrell Hatton, David Puig and Tom McKibbin.

The DP World Tour may experience a new boom in 2027 as top LIV golfers return to that circuit.

Patrick Reed, who left LIV in January 2026, has already navigated the return process.

Reed played on the DP World Tour for the remainder of the 2026 season and earned enough points to snag one of the 10 PGA Tour cards offered each year to the best DP World Tour players.

Reed chose not to re-sign with LIV, making him available for discussions with the PGA Tour.

When asked about Rahm’s potential return, Reed said he believes players should have to earn their way back.

Other former LIV golfers in the Abu Dhabi field include Adrian Meronk, who won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and sits T-3 at 6-under, and Tyrrell Hatton, who is at 5-under after a poor run of form.

All three have a chance to win the first DP World Tour playoff event if they maintain this level over the remaining three days.

Rahm’s opening round answered the immediate question about his form.

He shot the worst round of his career at Wentworth in September, finishing dead last.