LIV's Rahm hopes for 'way back' to PGA Tour events

Jon Rahm hopes there is a "way back" for LIV Golf players to feature on the PGA Tour again, admitting he felt "emotional" at missing certain events.

Rahm joined the breakaway LIV tour in December in a deal worth a reported £450m ($566.4m),, external meaning he is now excluded from PGA Tour tournaments.

However, there have been talks over a potential merger between the two tours.

"I'm hoping that in the near future I can be back playing some of those events," said the 29-year-old Spaniard.

"I would certainly love to go back and play some of them."

Rahm made his LIV debut in Mexico last weekend having missed PGA events at Palm Springs and Torrey Pines - the venue of his first PGA Tour win in 2017 and US Open triumph in 2021.

He will also miss this week's WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, which is just a few miles from his home.

"It was a lot harder to be at home not competing and know that those events were going on. Palm Springs and Torrey, those weeks were hard. I've explained so many times how important Torrey is for me," he said.

"And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn't going to play there, it's definitely emotional. That's one of the things that I'm going to miss."

Negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which funds LIV, began in June 2023 in an attempt to end the split in the game.

A deadline of 31 December passed without an agreement, though discussions have continued into the new year.

Rahm hopes a deal can be reached which will offer a route back to certain PGA Tour tournaments for LIV players.

"If there's ever a way back and a way where we can play, even if it's as an invite, I will take it," he said.

"There are certain events that are special to me that I would still love to support."

Despite his disappointment at missing out on some events, Rahm says he has no regrets about making the move as he prepares for LIV's second event of the season in Las Vegas.

"I'm not typically a person that's going to regret any decisions," he added.

"I made as educated a decision as I could with the full support of the people around me and [I am] confident that it was the right thing for me, so I'm not going to regret it."

Europe's Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald could not confirm whether Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who has also quit the PGA Tour for LIV, will be on his team in 2025.

Both players are eligible under the current rules as they remain members of the European-based DP World Tour.

"Do I see them [on the team]? It's really hard for me to answer that question now," said Donald, who led Europe to victory in Rome last year.

"We have all this talk about potential deals with the PGA Tour, with DP World Tour, with the PIF. I have no idea what's going to happen, and for the next seven months, I don't really need to know what's going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won't start until then.

"At this moment those are the rules, and so far, I'm sure Jon, I'm sure Tyrrell, they want to be a part of it, and they will hopefully adhere to whatever the rules are that allow them to play in the Ryder Cup."