ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Rahm suspended by PGA Tour for signing with LIV Golf

In a photo provided by LIV Golf, Jon Rahm, poses for a photo Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in New York. Masters champion Rahm bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf on Thursday for what's believed to be more money than the PGA Tour's entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf via AP) In a photo provided by LIV Golf, Jon Rahm, poses for a photo Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in New York. Masters champion Rahm bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf on Thursday for what's believed to be more money than the PGA Tour's entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf via AP)
Share

The PGA Tour has notified Jon Rahm he has been suspended for signing with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, a formality that is more about the benefits to the players Rahm leaves behind.

Mackenzie Hughes and Carl Yuan are the immediate beneficiaries of Rahm's decision last week to sign with the rival league.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in a memo to players Monday afternoon said Rahm's suspension "due to his association with a series of unauthorized tournaments" removes his name from the FedEx Cup eligibility points list.

That means Hughes goes from No. 51 to No. 50, and now is eligible for all seven of the US$20 million signature events in 2024. It also means Yuan, who was signed up for Q-school this week, moves up one spot to No. 125 and has a full PGA Tour card for next year.

The tour last year distinguished between the FedEx Cup standings and a separate list related to eligibility for the post-season and for status. The distinction was so players defecting to LIV would not have a negative impact on those who stayed behind.

Among those who benefited last year were Rickie Fowler, who got into the post-season because of all the players who left for LIV; and Jimmy Walker and Rory Sabbatini, who moved up on the career money list and were able to use one-time exemptions to keep full status.

This year, Hughes narrowly missed out on the top 50. He kept his 51st position through the fall, which only would have guaranteed him spots in the first two US$20 million events. Now the Canadian can count on the likes of the Wells Fargo Championship in his home residence of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Alex Smalley goes to the No. 60 spot and now is assured of two US$20 million events. The changes also affect Paul Haley, who moves to No. 150 and now has at least conditional status.

And it could effect Sahith Theegala. He finished No. 31 to narrowly miss the Tour Championship. He moves up to No. 30, which could make him exempt for the U.S. Open. This year, the U.S. Open recognized the top 30 who were eligible.

The movements were allowed because the new season has not started. If more PGA Tour players leave for LIV before the end of the year, that could lead to more changes.

Social media had been buzzing about the possibility of Tony Finau -- he and Rahm are close friends -- also leaving for LIV. Finau took to Instagram on Monday night that recapped his year and said he was "looking forward to playing my 10th season on the PGA Tour."

"See y'all in Maui!" he concluded, adding the hash tag, "imnotleaving."

Monahan also said in the memo that the policy board and management recently met with a group of players upset that signature events will offer disproportionately more FedEx Cup points than the other events, leading to concerns it will be difficult for players outside the top 50 to fairly compete.

Monahan said the board will review how the new system is working in June and evaluate whether changes are in order for 2025.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected