Justin Rose’s LIV Golf stance, true colours admission and Jon Rahm honesty

Justin Rose’s PGA Tour Season Ends: The Road Not Taken with LIV Golf

Justin Rose’s journey on the PGA Tour for this season came to a close following his elimination from the play-offs at the St. Jude Championship. Rose finished tied for 22nd place, a position that did not garner enough FedEx Cup points to advance to the next stage. Only the top 50 players moved on to the BMW Championship, and at 44 years old, Rose found himself just five places short of that mark.

Despite being well-positioned heading into the weekend at T5 with an eight-under score, Rose’s hopes of advancing were dashed by two consecutive rounds of one-over-par on Saturday and Sunday. This unfortunate outcome ended his chances of continuing in the season’s final play-off events.

Yet, Rose’s current situation might have been dramatically different had he accepted an offer from LIV Golf, a deal rumored to be worth around £50 million. The Saudi-backed LIV Golf approached him before their 2022 launch, but Rose chose a different path, driven by something more significant than money—his lifelong dreams.

### Rose’s Motivation: Chasing Childhood Dreams

Rose was fully aware of the lucrative offer presented to him by LIV Golf. However, as the 2013 US Open champion, his decision was motivated by his childhood aspirations rather than financial gain. He recognized that joining LIV Golf would limit his opportunities to earn world ranking points, which in turn could have jeopardized his automatic qualification for major championships—events that he had dreamed of winning since he was a child.

In an interview with *The Telegraph* last year, Rose reflected on his decision: “Sure, it looked great on paper, but what sealed it for me was honoring that kid who was on that putting green at North Hants Golf Club, trying to knock in putts to win the Masters, the Open, the US Open, and the PGA [Championship]. I felt I couldn’t let him down and stop chasing his dreams.”

### A Tough Decision: Sacrificing LIV Golf for Legacy

Had Rose joined LIV Golf, he might have still had a chance to compete in the majors through qualifiers. However, he candidly admitted that he wasn’t confident in his ability to do so. After reaching the pinnacle of world golf as the No. 1 player in February 2019, Rose endured a four-year winless streak, which made him reconsider his priorities.

“It made me sit down and analyze what I wanted from my career, and what soon became clear was that the majors are the things that continue to drive me,” Rose explained. “What made it non-negotiable was that I didn’t have four or five years left of exemptions for the majors, and without access to world ranking points, it would have looked grim. I probably wouldn’t have got into this year’s Masters, maybe not the PGA, might have had to go through qualifying for the Open… so it could have just been the US Open, and this will be the last of my champion’s exemptions in that. I just didn’t want to see it conclude like that.”

### Jon Rahm’s Defection and Its Impact

While Rose remained loyal to the PGA Tour, he watched as many top players defected to LIV Golf. The defection that perhaps hit him hardest was Jon Rahm’s unexpected switch in December 2023. Rahm’s decision was a significant blow to the PGA Tour and raised questions about the long-term future of the tour.

“That’s a big signing,” Rose said at the time. “He’s a big catch and a big loss. He weakens one side and strengthens the other. And I don’t know who else goes with Jon. If it’s just Jon, that’s bad enough. What does that mean now to the trickle? If it’s Jon plus a trickle, that’s not good.”

Rahm’s move to LIV Golf initially seemed like a masterstroke, but his 2024 season turned out to be disastrous. His performance plummeted, and he appeared increasingly frustrated on and off the course. Now, rumors are swirling that Rahm is considering a dramatic U-turn on the $500 million (£386.3 million) deal he signed with LIV just months ago.

### Navigating Relationships: PGA and LIV Golf

Throughout the tumultuous period, Rose has made a conscious effort to avoid conflict with those who joined LIV Golf, many of whom were his Ryder Cup teammates and close friends. Notable names like Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, and Martin Kaymer all made the switch to the rival tour.

Rose had formed a particularly close partnership with Stenson, both as Ryder Cup teammates and competitors at the 2016 Olympics. It was Rose who triumphed in Rio, clinching the gold medal with a final birdie, while Stenson settled for silver after a bogey left him two strokes behind.

“I try to keep my nose out of it because a lot of them are my friends, and they remain my friends,” Rose explained. “I don’t judge their decision because everyone has their own parameters for what makes a good decision or not. I still continue to stay in touch with them and wish them the best.”

Despite maintaining these personal relationships, Rose was quick to emphasize that the absence of these players from last year’s Ryder Cup was not a blow to the competition. He and his new band of European teammates went on to defeat Team USA in Rome, proving that the team’s strength in depth was more than enough to overcome the loss of those who joined LIV.

“There is so much strength in depth, I don’t think it will be devalued,” Rose told BBC Radio 5 Live. “People like watching Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter. They bring a lot of passion. They will be missed, for sure, but it is what it is.

“You have the powers that be, the traditional people who still have control of golf, and you have an upstart league which is trying to bring in a fresh idea and rival product. It’s all good either way; it’s just whether both can fit together in this scenario.”

As Rose’s season concludes, his commitment to his childhood dreams and the integrity of the PGA Tour remains steadfast, even as the landscape of professional golf continues to evolve.