LIV Golf were responsible for a huge clanger when teasing their signing of Jon Rahm.

Rahm has become the highest-paid athlete in the world after signing a £476million contract with the golf organisation, who like Newcastle are owned by Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund.

Ahead of Thursday’s announcement, LIV’s social media team posted a word search for fans to guess who was joining their circuit.

However, this did not go exactly to plan.

Eagle-eyed fans would have been quick to spot the reigning Masters champion surname on row five.

But in row four, fans would have spotted his first name, only with a different spelling.

The word search had the Spaniard’s name spelt as “John” rather than how he actual spells it, “Jon”.

It is an awkward start to life for Rahm with LIV and comes after previous comments which saw him “laugh” off rumours of him joining LIV Golf.

Rahm, 29, had told the Golf Sin Etiquetas earlier this year: “I laugh when people rumour me with LIV Golf.

“I never liked the format.”

Fast forward to yesterday, and Rahm was playing a different tune.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I am proud to join
@livgolf_league and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport.

“I have no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me and my family and am very excited for the future.”

However, in an appearance on Fox News, Rahm insisted he was not joining LIV for the money.

He said: “It’s not an easy decision. There were a lot of things LIV had to offer that was really enticing.

“I can’t comment on any of that (his deal), nor do I want to.

“It is private and it is going to stay private. Listen, it was a great offer. The money is great, it is wonderful.”

He added: “I’m an ambitious person, not a greedy one…

“This wasn’t anything personal for them, it was for my family. I hope the friends that I made stay my friends.”

With Rahm leaving the PGA Tour and joining a LIV line-up featuring the likes of Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy has been left fearing the future of the sport.

He told Sky Sports: “My fear is that we continue down this path where we have competing tours and it divides the eyeballs that are on the game.

“Some people like LIV, the majority of people like the PGA Tour, but if LIV start to take a few players each and every year it’s really going to be divided and that’s no good for anyone.

“You’re basically cannibalising yourself as a sport, sort of the same as what boxing has done with all the different organisations and a few other sports have as well.

“To me, having all the best golfers under the one umbrella is the best way forward because I think that’s really what the public wants.”