Jon Rahm drops LIV Golf bombshell as he tells Greg Norman how to fix world ranking crisis

Jon Rahm called for LIV Golf to shift to a more traditional 72-hole format which could lead to the Saudi-backed circuit getting recognised by the Official World Golf Rankings.

The reigning Masters champion is heading to Augusta National to defend his title in solid form after leading his Legion XIII to team victory at LIV Golf Miami. Rahm represents perhaps the most high-profile signing since LIV Golf burst onto the scene back in 2021.

Signing one of the most lucrative deals in the history of professional sport, the Spaniard put pen to paper on a staggering £450m agreement for the next four-and-a-half years. Rahm has found form recently, earning over a million pounds in prize money at Trump National Doral alongside teammates Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt, and Kieran Vincent. Speaking to the BBC, the twice Major champion reflected on his first few months with LIV and offered a method towards recognition in line with the PGA Tour.

He said: "If there ever was a way where LIV could go to 72 holes, I think it would help all of this argument a lot. The closer I think we can get LIV Golf to some other things the better. I think it would be for some kind of unification to feed into a world tour or something like that. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I definitely wouldn't mind going back to 72 holes."

The OWGR denied LIV Golf the opportunity for players to earn World Ranking points in its tournaments back in 2023. The body cited LIV Golf's format; the events are 54 holes in length, whereas most professional tournaments at the top level of the game are 72 holes and feature a 36-hole cut - something LIV does not offer.

The overarching structure of the PIF-backed series that guaranteed spots for certain players - namely stars