Just days before the start of its third season, LIV Golf has signed another big-name European competitor as Tyrrell Hatton is the latest to join the upstart league, according to The Telegraph. The Englishman will join his fellow European, Jon Rahm, on the team circuit with a deal reportedly hovering around $65 million. Rahm’s official team name and roster have yet to be announced.
Hatton’s reported move follows reports that DP World Tour Player of the Year, Adrian Meronk, will also sign with LIV Golf ahead of the new season. Both Hatton and Meronk are expected to keep their membership with the DP World Tour, but if current punishments persist, then both will be fined each time they participate in a LIV Golf event. This is notable because, as of now, membership on the European circuit is a requirement for Ryder Cup eligibility.
The world No. 16 player is still listed in the field for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA Tour but is expected to withdraw ahead of teeing it up at LIV Golf Mayakoba. LIV Golf has a busy beginning to its 2024 schedule as it travels from Mexico to Las Vegas the week of the Super Bowl for its second event in as many weeks.
Despite not collecting a trophy in three years, Hatton is amid some of the best golf of his career. The 32-year-old clocked 16 top-20 finishes in 26 worldwide starts in 2023 with six of those doubling as top-five performances. He finished on the podium at the Wells Fargo Championship and Canadian Open and connected on runner-up efforts at the Players Championship and the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour.
Hatton’s departure from the PGA Tour comes at a time when professional golf world remains in flux. Sportico reported the Strategic Sports Group’s $3 billion investment into the PGA Tour Enterprises could come as early as this week. The SSG is spearheaded by Fenway Sports Group and features investors like Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank and New York Mets’ Steven Cohen.
Sports Illustrated followed up this report with news of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (LIV Golf’s financial backers) and the PGA Tour making significant strides of their own. Both parties were in New York this past week, and an updated framework agreement could be the product of conversations.
Optimism surrounding the three parties coming together and unifying professional golf is growing, but many questions remain. What does the future look like? How does additional signings by LIV Golf affect all this? Outside the major championships, when will all the best players in the world play against one another again?