Sergio García shares whether he was surprised by Jon Rahm deciding to join LIV Golf in 2023

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One of the biggest moments in golf over the past 12 months was undoubtedly the announcement that Jon Rahm was joining LIV Golf after previously speaking of his desire to stay on the PGA Tour.

Jon Rahm was unquestionably one of the biggest names to initially stay loyal to the PGA Tour. The 29-year-old won The Masters for his second major title in 2023, while he has spent a year at the top of the world rankings across his career.

So it sent shockwaves through the golfing world when it was confirmed that Rahm was joining LIV. It really did appear to have the potential to be a needle-mover for the breakaway tour, particularly as he was the reigning Masters champion.

Rahm has struggled in the majors, but he has been outstanding on LIV. He won two events to clinch the individual title for the season ahead of Joaquin Niemann.

Sergio García asked whether he was surprised by Jon Rahm joining LIV Golf

One of the players who would have been most pleased to see Rahm join would have been Sergio García, with the Spaniard teaming up with his countryman extremely successfully at the 2021 Ryder Cup. And in an interview with Golf Monthly, Garcia was asked whether he was surprised by Rahm’s decision.

“Did it surprise me? I don’t know. I was hoping that it was going to happen, because Jon is a good friend and an unbelievable player and I knew what he would bring to the league. But you never know if it’s going to happen or not. I’m glad that he made the change and obviously, he’s played amazing all year long. That’s why he’s done what he’s done. And we’re very happy to have him,” he said.

The one LIV star who has overshadowed Rahm

LIV and Rahm could have hardly asked for the Spaniard to have a better year. He did not finish outside the top 10 all year on LIV and won the individual title for the season.

However, it could be suggested that Rahm has not significantly moved the needle. The Creator Classic attracted more viewers than LIV Golf Greenbrier. Meanwhile, Rahm had two poor performances in the majors and missed another through injury.

Instead, the big star for LIV was surely Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau’s US Open win seemed to confirm him as one of the most popular players in the game.

DeChambeau had a poor year on LIV by his standards. But when it comes to which player the PGA Tour misses most, you could argue that it is DeChambeau rather than Rahm as things stand.