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Jon Rahm believes the DP World Tour is weakening itself with its strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, but he believes Rory McIlroy's support for the European circuit ensures its prominence for years to come.
The tours formalized their partnership in the aftermath of the LIV Golf breakaway. For the PGA Tour, it prevented the prospect of the DP World Tour going into business with LIV, and in return, the DP World Tour received financial support, as well as an agreement to offer PGA Tour cards to the top 10 players in the Race To Dubai not already exempt.
The deal safeguarded against an exodus of DP World Tour players to LIV Golf, but four years later, critics of the deal believe it has created a talent drain. Lee Westwood, who is set to rejoin the DP World Tour later this year, believes the PGA Tour is the only "winner" in the deal.
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Rahm, a member of both LIV and the DP World Tour, agrees. He said: "I don't think it's great for the tour — I would say as great as it is for the players — to lose your 10 best players of the year that weren't already PGA Tour members to the PGA Tour.
"It can be a little challenging, but it's a great pathway for players to get to the tour they desire to play in."
While the DP World Tour has lost dozens of good players to the PGA Tour for a large part of the season, six-time major champion McIlroy remains a supporter.
He has decreased his playing commitments in the U.S. over the past two seasons due to a waning interest in the PGA Tour, but he continues to play on the DP World Tour in the Middle East early in the year, as well as showpiece events in the fall.
Of active players, McIlroy is golf's biggest needle-mover, and Rahm believes the European circuit can piggyback on his stardom for as long as he sticks around.
"I think while the DP World Tour has the figure of somebody like Rory, where he's devoting so much of his time to play the DP World Tour, and right now he is undoubtedly the most famous golfer on the planet and the most influential, I think they're always going to be in a good position with somebody like him supporting the tour. There are always things they can do."
Rahm's comments on the alliance were echoed by former world No. 1 Westwood, who said: "It's a short-term view, I think.
"The winners in it are the PGA Tour because for 10 players going over there, they're maybe going to pick up one future star. But that's not great for the European Tour."
Rahm's comments came as LIV was dealt a significant setback in its survival fight. The breakaway league had relied on the Asian Tour as a crucial partner since it launched, but on Tuesday it announced it had turned its back on LIV and struck a deal with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
