Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm embrace after winning the 2023 Ryder Cup. | Brendan Moran/Getty Images
LIV Golf tried to lure Tommy Fleetwood, but the Englishman turned down a lucrative offer to join Jon Rahm’s team.
Tommy Fleetwood is not heading to LIV Golf, unlike his Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm.
In fact, LIV Golf offered Fleetwood “10s of millions” to join the Saudi-backed circuit, according to James Corrigan of The Telegraph.
Nicolai Højgaard, the 23-year-old star from Denmark, also received an offer to join, but like Fleetwood, he turned LIV Golf down, too.
Now, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman and Rahm reportedly have their eyes set on Tyrell Hatton, the Englishman who is currently the 15th-ranked player in the world. According to Corrigan, Hatton’s camp insists they have not yet received a formal proposal, but others indicate that the two sides have held discussions.
This is not the first time the two camps have been linked, either.
Nevertheless, LIV Golf’s 2024 season begins in two weeks in Mexico at Mayakoba. But Rahm’s team, Legion XIII, does not yet have a full roster. According to Flushing It on X, Legion XIII currently comprises Rahm, Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe, and Caleb Surratt, a 20-year-old from the University of Tennessee. With four players making up one LIV team, one spot remains vacant.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, and Nicolai Højgaard celebrate after Team Europe’s win at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Hence, LIV Golf executives—along with Rahm—are actively pursuing other golfers to round out the rosters. Time is of the essence, and the clocking is ticking.
But LIV Golf has access to unlimited funds. With the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) $700 billion coffers bankrolling the league, LIV executives will no doubt find a player to fill the void.
The question now becomes, who?
It will not be Fleetwood or Højgaard, but it could be Hatton, as all three players are in the United Arab Emirates this week for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Højgaard has played the best out of this trio through 36 holes, as the young Dane is currently 7-under. Fleetwood has posted rounds of 69 and 70 and sits at 5-under, while Hatton made the cut by two shots and is 2-under.
Cameron Young is at 13-under and leads by three.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
