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Rahm: 'I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons'

Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Jon Rahm made it clear that he plans to stick with the PGA TOUR as more players leave to join Greg Norman's Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

For Rahm - the defending U.S. Open champion - playing on the TOUR is about more than making money.

"I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world," he told reporters Tuesday, per Sky Sports. "I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now, the PGA TOUR has that."

Rahm listed the Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus and the Arnold Palmer Invitational as meaningful TOUR events to win .

The 27-year-old Spaniard said he and his wife spoke about the LIV Golf series when it first made waves, and they decided that the large amount of money that comes with joining LIV wouldn't be life-changing for them.

Since joining the PGA TOUR in 2016, Rahm has already earned over $33 million. That number is good enough for 30th on the TOUR's career money list.

Rahm added that he doesn't find LIV Golf's format appealing.

"Shotgun, three days to me is not a golf tournament. No cut. It's that simple," he said. "I want to play against the best in the world in a format that's been going on for hundreds of years."

The LIV Golf series held its first event from June 9-11. It was a 54-hole tournament with no cuts that Charl Schwartzel won by one stroke.

Schwartzel pocketed $4 million for the individual prize. Meanwhile, Rahm earned $2.25 million for winning last year's U.S. Open.

Rahm also fears the ramifications for the Ryder Cup with so many TOUR players leaving for LIV Golf.

"I hope we don't lose the essence and the aspect that the Ryder Cup is. That's one of my biggest concerns, to be honest," he said, according to Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig. "It's an event we all play for free, and it's one of our favorite weeks, win or lose."

On June 9, PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo announcing that golfers who join LIV will be suspended from the TOUR, including the Presidents Cup.

The Presidents Cup is scheduled for Sept. 19-25 at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina. Next year is a Ryder Cup year, and the event is scheduled to be played in Italy from Sept. 25-Oct. 1.

Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood have been part of the European Ryder Cup team over the years, but all three have joined LIV Golf, potentially putting their eligibility for the 2023 event in jeopardy.

The DP World Tour has yet to release its own statement regarding players leaving for LIV Golf.

Both LIV Golf and PGA TOUR players will be in the U.S. Open field this week at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Rahm will tee off Thursday with Collin Morikawa and James Piot at 7:18 a.m. ET.

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