Jon Rahm makes major family announcement after Spanish Open withdrawal

Jon Rahm has confirmed the reason behind his withdrawal from this week's Spanish Open, with the two-time major champion choosing to remain at home as he and his wife Kelley await the birth of their fourth child.

Rahm, 31, officially pulled out of the DP World Tour event in Madrid on Wednesday, missing the chance to play in front of his home fans.

The Spaniard later confirmed the decision on social media, explaining that the arrival of his fourth child is now imminent.

"With our fourth child due any day, I've made the difficult decision to miss this year's Spanish Open to be home with my family," Rahm wrote.

"Playing in front of the fans in Spain is something I look forward to every year.

"I'll miss being there, but I'm grateful to share this special moment with my family.

"Best of luck to everyone playing. I'll be watching and cheering from home!"

Rahm and his wife Kelley already have three children, Kepa, Eneko and Alaia.

The European Ryder Cup hero will now remain with his family as they prepare to welcome their fourth child. 

Rahm will be keeping a close eye on the Spanish Open, with 21 Spaniards set to compete in Madrid this week, none bigger than record Ryder Cup points scorer Sergio Garcia. 

Rahm's absence is a blow for the tournament, despite the happy circumstances surrounding his big family update. 

The former World No.1 remains the biggest star in Spanish golf and a regular headline act whenever he returns to the Open de Espana.

His decision to WD from the Spanish Open comes at a particularly interesting time in his professional career.

Rahm's LIV future remains unclear

While Rahm's immediate focus is understandably on his family, his longer-term playing future remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in professional golf.

The Spaniard's LIV Golf contract is currently at the centre of the league's restructuring process, with his hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court now scheduled for November 5.

According to court documents, Rahm is the only LIV player whose contract has been adjourned to a later date.

The timing has raised further questions given the uncertainty surrounding LIV's proposed 2.0 model for 2027.

Rahm joined LIV in December 2023 on a reported $350 million deal and has been the league's standout individual performer, winning the Individual Championship in each of his first three seasons.

Despite that success, there have been persistent rumours that Rahm could leave LIV ahead of the 2027 season.

Nothing has been confirmed, however, and Rahm has remained largely non-committal when discussing his future publicly.

Reports have suggested that Rahm could be owed up to $150 million for the remainder of his contract, although that figure has not been officially confirmed.

His future has become even more significant following BC Partners Credit's initial investment in LIV 2.0 as part of a targeted $300 million financing package.

BC Partners is attempting to build a new player-owned, team-focused model, with players being offered equity in the league and their teams.

Keeping Rahm would undoubtedly be a major boost to those plans.

For now, though, Rahm has more important matters to focus on.