Jon Rahm leads the way as PGA Tour play-offs begin at Memphis

WASHINGTON – Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, the season points leader, has bet on himself to win when the PGA Tour’s FedExCup play-offs begin on Thursday at the St Jude Championship.

The top 70 players from the season will tee off at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, hoping to be among 50 who advance to next week’s BMW Championship, from which the top 30 will reach the Tour Championship in two weeks at East Lake in Atlanta.

Rahm has never won the play-off’s top prize, which in 2023 is US$18 million (S$24 million) from a prize money pool of US$75 million.

If he can keep the points lead over the next two events, the Spaniard will get a two-stroke edge to start the Tour Championship over the No. 2 player, who at this point is American Scottie Scheffler, just ahead of three-time play-off winner and defending champion Rory McIlroy.

“You want to win every time we tee it up, but yeah, the goal is to try to get to East Lake as No. 1 and enjoy that two-shot lead,” Rahm said on Tuesday. “I still have to focus on what I have to do rather than what other players may be doing. It’s me against me and all I can control is what I do. If I do what I know I can do at the highest level, it gives me the best chance.”

The 28-year-old tied for fifth in the St Jude in 2022 with a final-round 66. He was joint eighth and 15th in the final two play-off events of that year.

Rahm knows how much the extra strokes can matter. In 2021, he lost the Tour Championship by a stroke to Patrick Cantlay even though he played the four rounds in three fewer shots than the American.

“It has always made a difference,” he said. “It made a difference when I finished in second place. It’s the reason why they give it to you, so if we can take advantage of it, it would be nice.”

Top-ranked Scheffler, second-ranked McIlroy and world No. 3 Rahm will play together in the first two rounds.

Rahm has enjoyed an epic year with four titles, taking the Tournament of Champions and American Express titles in January, the Genesis at Riviera in February and his second Major title in April at Augusta National. He also shared second at the British Open in July.

“It has been a really good season,” he added. “Accomplished a lot of things I set myself out to do, and one of them was to be sitting right here as No. 1 (on the FedExCup standings). Really proud of what I’ve done so far. I’m looking forward to keeping it going in the play-offs.”

On the sidelines, Rahm expressed his support for PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who faced a players meeting at Memphis criticising his handling of a merger deal with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf after a year of trying to keep PGA players from defecting to the upstart circuit.

“I think we’re quickly forgetting how well he managed a lot of things. He did an amazing job during Covid and kept a lot of people employed. We were the first major sport to come back,” he said.

“A lot of players were able to earn their cards and keep competing. I think we shouldn’t forget that that quickly.”

Rahm was among 41 players who signed a letter to Monahan that led to Tiger Woods getting a spot on the tour’s policy board, which now has a player-majority membership.

It must approve the framework agreement that Monahan negotiated in secret with the Saudis by the end of the year for the pact to become official.

Brian Harman, who won his first Major title at the British Open, also backed Monahan, calling him “a very qualified leader”. AFP, REUTERS