Jon Rahm gives brutally honest response when asked about LIV defection

In an interview with ESPN, Jon Rahm gave a brutally honest response when talking about why he defected from the PGA Tour to the LIV Tour.

Jon Rahm gives brutally honest response when asked about LIV defection

A clip from the ESPN interview in which Rahm gave this revealing answer is below courtesy of CBS golf writer Kyle Porter.

In the clip, Rahm makes it very clear that money was a very big reason why he left the PGA Tour. He says, "I don't want to skip through this point...there is a big change in the way the golfers get compensated. I would be lying if I said that wasn't a big part of it."

Rahm summed it up this way: "In a nutshell, I am getting paid more to play the same sport and have more [free] time. I don't know about most people but that sounds great to me."

On the one hand, Rahm should be given credit for this answer. A number of players who have jumped ship to join the LIV tour have given laughable answers about "growing the game" or doing what is best for the game of golf.

Rahm is at least self-aware enough and honest that he can admit what his true intentions were in taking all of the millions upon millions of dollars that LIV threw at him.

At the same time, Rahm was inviting himself to criticism that he is taking the easy way out or accepting money that stems from morally questionable means. In the end, like many others, he decided that the money was worth it for the blowback.

It will be interesting to see if Rahm is still able to compete at a high level in the major championships going forward. He is at the peak of his career, so one would think he will still be a factor but the less rigorous and serious competition present in LIV may make him less sharp when we see him in the majors.

That is a question that will reveal itself soon enough. For now, we at least know for sure about why Rahm left the PGA Tour thanks to his honest answer.