Why Jon Rahm's $18 million LIV Golf payday was ‘bittersweet'

Yahoo

a day ago

Jon Rahm wasn't exactly in the mood for a victory lap Sunday when he claimed his second straight LIV Golf Individual Championship title and an $18 million bonus.
When reflecting on his performance in Indianapolis this past weekend, the two-time major winner called the moment 'bittersweet' after falling short in a playoff for the second consecutive week and missing out on an individual tournament victory for the 2025 season.
'I know I'm supposed to be happy, it's a great moment, it doesn't feel great to finish the year losing two playoffs,' Rahm, 30, began. '… I'm sure over time I'll get over that, and I'll really appreciate what I've done this year. To be able to win the season without actually winning a tournament, I know I'll be proud of that.'
Rahm, in his second season on the Saudi-backed circuit, shot an 11-under 60 Sunday in the final round of the Indianapolis tournament, tying Sebastian Muñoz for the top slot.
In a one-hole playoff on the par-4 18th at The Club at Chatham Hills, Muñoz sank a birdie while the Legion XIII captain carded a par.
A similar scene unfolded the week before in Chicago, where Rahm was edged out in a one-hole playoff by Dean Burmester, who birdied the par-4 18th at Bolingbrook Golf Club.
Despite those crushing finishes, the Spaniard managed to eclipse points leader Joaquin Niemann (223.68) — the individual victor of five tournaments this season — to claim back-to-back Individual Championship titles with 226.16 points.
'He's played incredible golf, and one could argue he was probably the more deserving guy to win this, but we have the point system that we have, and somehow, I don't know how I managed to pull through and get it done, so extremely proud of that,' Rahm said.
Niemann, who competes on Muñoz's Torque GC club, said the result was 'kind of hard to swallow.'
'But at the end of the day, I think it is what it is,' he said. 'I feel like it's going to put something inside me to kind of work harder and try to be in this situation again next year and make it different.'
Rahm pocketed $20.25 million from Sunday's finale at Indianapolis, $2.25 million for his second-place finish and $18 million for the season championship, according to Golf Week.
The former world No. 1 joined the PGA Tour's rival in December 2023 for a multiyear deal worth a reported $500 million.