Jon Rahm Took the Money... and Ran
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
“Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. The person wearing a threadbare coat over a good conscience has found a spiritual treasure far more desirable than any he may have lost. God’s smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to the trusting soul.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Have you ever heard the expression, “Every man has a price?”
Last week, professional golfer Jon Rahm surrendered his PGA Tour membership and signed instead with LIV Golf, the Saudi-owned and operated golf tour. Ironically, Rahm spent the past several years pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour and criticizing LIV Golf… and those players who defected to it.
Reportedly, Rahm declined previous offers from LIV Golf that were in the $300-$400 million range. However, after a successful 2023 season in which he won the Masters, the price tag for Rahm’s services increased. And so, when the Saudi’s upped the ante to $566 million ($302 million paid upfront), Rahm swallowed his pride and took the cash.
I hope that Rahm can live with his decision, one that he framed as being “the best for me and my family,” but I have my doubts.
“Every decision we make in life there will be somebody who agrees and likes it and somebody who doesn’t, right?” Rahm said on a conference call Thursday. That’s very true, Jon, because as a fan who often rooted for you to win, I will now root for you to lose. Not because I am jealous of the money you make, but because you broke your word and – in my estimation and that of countless other golf fans around the world – you also sold your soul to the Saudi’s.
If I played a match against Jon Rahm or anyone of his caliber, I would get absolutely crushed. Rahm can drive a ball 350 yards and I struggle to hit it more than 200. He also wears the nicest golf attire money can buy, while my faded shorts and baggy shirt are the modern-day equivalent of Spurgeon’s “threadbare coat” mentioned above.
But my conscience is clear, my sins are forgiven, and my eternal home is in heaven… and you can’t put a price tag on any of those things. FORE!!!
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 (NKJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
