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PGA Tour Champions Ban Leaves LIV Star With ‘Nowhere Else To Play’ As Jon Rahm Walks Away

Jon Rahm’s departure from LIV Golf marks a turning point for the breakaway tour, as its player base continues to shrink ahead of the 2027 season. The two-time major champion’s exit follows Sergio García’s recent contract termination, leaving LIV scrambling to retain talent amid financial and structural changes.

Among those with no immediate alternatives is Richard Bland, a 54-year-old veteran who won the 2024 Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open but faces a ban from PGA Tour Champions until August 2025. With no appetite to re-enter the DP World Tour or restart his career from scratch, Bland has committed to LIV despite slashed prize money—individual event purses have dropped from $20 million to $10.1 million, and winners now earn roughly $2.2 million instead of $4 million.

The tour is also expanding fields from 57 to 75 players and shifting to a traditional 72-hole format, abandoning its previous no-cut rule. LIV’s future hinges on securing enough players to survive, as CEO Scott O’Neil races to extend commitments past October 25th, though funding remains uncertain after Saudi Arabia’s withdrawal earlier this year.

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