Jon Rahm gets last laugh after angry Tiger Woods snubbed him as LIV Golf earnings revealed

Jon Rahm has earned a huge amount of money since switching to LIV Golf - but his choice to abandon the PGA Tour didn't sit well with Tiger Woods. The former US Open and Masters champion sent shockwaves through the sport when he agreed to join the Saudi-backed circuit in 2023.

Before signing with LIV, Rahm had been adamant that he would not abandon the PGA. The Spanish golfer had previously declared that he wouldn't be swayed by the eye-watering contracts on offer from LIV before controversially performing a U-turn. "Money is great, but when [wife] Kelley and I... this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we're like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400million? No, it will not change one bit," Rahm said during the 2022 US Open. "Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I've made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that."

It was reported that Rahm joined LIV in a deal valued at up to £450million. Furthermore, the two-time LIV Golf individual champion collects staggering sums of prize money, illustrating why he was convinced to leave the PGA.

Spanish outlet Sport claims that Rahm had banked £39.5m ($52m) after merely 24 LIV tournaments. By contrast, the two-time major victor accumulated £38.7m ($51m) in prize money across 153 PGA Tour competitions.

National Club Golfer reports that his total LIV prize money is a staggering £57.1m ($74.9m), including a combined £27.4m ($36m) for his two individual season victories. However, Rahm's decision to accept LIV's nine-figure offer was met with mixed reactions.

After joining LIV, Rahm shared that golfing icon Woods had not responded to his text message. Speaking to ESPN in February 2024, he said: "I mean, Tiger, I texted him and the people that try to reach out, you know, the process, when I signed.

"And I just let him know, 'Hey, you know, this is a personal decision. I have nothing against anybody.' This is a new change. A big change. I don't want to skip through this point: A big change how golfers get compensated.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a big part of it. In a nutshell, I'm getting more to play the same sport and have more time. I don't know about most people, but that sounds great to me."

Despite Woods' silence, Rahm revealed that he did get a reply from Rory McIlroy. "Rory has been supportive publicly of my decision, and he was privately as well," Rahm stated.

The 30-year-old golfer was one of McIlroy's team-mates during Team Europe's Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black last month. Rahm contributed three points to Europe's triumph over Team USA.

He won both his foursome matches alongside Tyrell Hatton and claimed a four-ball victory with Sepp Straka. He lost his singles match to Xander Schauffele on the final day, but Team Europe held on to celebrate their 15-13 win on US soil.