LAS VEGAS – As he readies for his second LIV Golf event and his first on American soil, Jon Rahm lamented missing out on recent PGA Tour events but does not regret his decision to switch circuits.
“It was a lot harder to be at home not competing and knowing that those events were going on. Palm Springs and Torrey, those weeks were hard. I’ve explained so many times how important Torrey is for me,” he said at Las Vegas Country Club on Feb 6.
Torrey Pines, which hosted the Farmers Insurance Open in January, was where he won his first PGA Tour title in 2017 and his first Major, the US Open, in 2021.
As the world No. 3 player and the top box-office draw for LIV Golf, Rahm reportedly received more than US$300 million (S$402.9 million) to join the circuit last December. This week, however, the 29-year-old is missing the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, just a few kilometres from his home.
“And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn’t going to play there, it’s definitely emotional. That’s one of the things that I’m going to miss,” said the two-time Major winner.
Though he was banned from competing in those PGA events once he jumped ship, he is hopeful he can take part in those competitions down the road. This is possible if merger talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV’s Saudi backers, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), come to fruition.
Memories aside, Rahm is preparing for this week’s Las Vegas event and is focused on LIV Golf.
“I’m not typically a person who’s going to regret any decision. I made as educated a decision as I could with the full support of the people around me and (I’m) confident that it was the right thing for me, so I’m not going to regret it,” said the Spaniard, who thoroughly enjoyed his first LIV Golf event last week at Mayakoba in Mexico.
His team, Legion XIII, picked up the team victory while individually he finished in a tie for third.
“It’s definitely different,” he said.
“For people watching, the atmosphere, the music, it’s different, but I think it’s very entertaining. It gives the crowd a level of engagement that I wasn’t expecting. Everybody seemed really into the music and into the golf, and it was really fun to play before a crowd who were enjoying it so much.”
Rahm may be enjoying himself now, but he could be concerned about his place in the Ryder Cup after European captain Luke Donald sidestepped the question of whether Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will be in the team following their defection.
“Do I see them (in the team)? It’s really hard for me to answer that question now. What I did so well in my captaincy last year was just control what I can control,” the Englishman said on Feb 6 at the Phoenix Open.
“We have all this talk about potential deals with the PGA Tour, with the DP World Tour, with the PIF. I have no idea what’s going to happen and, for the next seven months, I don’t really need to know what’s going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won’t start until then.”
Donald also said that no one from Europe’s team is judging Rahm or Hatton for making the switch even though it may jeopardise their Ryder Cup participation.
“I haven’t seen too many of the guys. We still have a group WhatsApp chat, and we’re all participating in that chat that we created for Rome,” he said.
“There’s nothing adverse or anything within that chat. Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for himself, and I don’t think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon’s decision.”
For two-time Major champion Justin Thomas, however, LIV Golf players should be penalised should they return to the PGA Tour or its future iteration.
“I would say that there’s a handful of players on LIV who would make the tour a better place,” the American said. “But I’m definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily.”
His opinion follows those of close friends Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, who have also made clear in recent days that they do not align with Rory McIlroy’s stance that LIV players who wish to return to the PGA Tour should be able to do so without sanction. Some players came out in 2023 to say they believe the PGA Tour should reward members who did not take LIV’s money.
“There’s a lot of us who made sacrifices... whether it’s true to our word or what we believe in or just didn’t make that decision,” Thomas said.
“I totally understand that things are changing and things are getting better, but... I would have a hard time with it, and a lot of guys would have a hard time with it, and I’m sure we don’t need to convince you why we would have a hard time with it.” REUTERS
