Jon Rahm spoke to the media on Tuesday forward of his Masters protection.
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On Sunday night, as World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler rallied into the lead and three of his hardest opponents tried desperately to chase him down and the Players Championship crescendoed to its dramatic conclusion, Jon Rahm was watching.
This weekend marked 100 days since Rahm logged onto a media Zoom name carrying a black LIV letterman jacket to announce his defection to the controversial upstart tour. That choice meant no Sentry Tournament of Champions. It meant no Genesis Invitational. It meant no WM Phoenix Open. And it meant no Players Championship. I’d spoken to Rahm in January about that call and he appeared at peace with it, figuring out he’d been well-compensated to make the leap. But what has the actuality been like for one of the finest golfers in the world — and a self-described scholar of the recreation’s historical past — to observe from the sidelines as his former colleagues battle it out for one of golf’s most prestigious prizes?
We received a solution.
On Tuesday morning, the defending Masters champion logged onto a media Zoom name carrying his inexperienced jacket. He apologized for being a couple of minutes late, he apologized for what he thought of a substandard knot in his gold tie (I think these two issues have been associated), he launched into an epic description of his champions dinner menu after which, fortunately, the first reporter’s query addressed that actual curiosity.
A pair months into your new journey, how are you feeling about the tournaments you’re taking part in — and the tournaments you aren’t?
The subtext was clear: Does it damage? Rahm didn’t shrink back from that concept.
“There are some tournaments I’m going to miss,” he mentioned. “I hope I get to tee it up at the Players again. It would be a little bit of a sour taste if my last-ever start at the Players was WD because I was sick.”
That WD got here final 12 months, when Rahm shot one-under 71 in the first spherical of the Players after which bailed on Friday as a result of sickness. He had one other high-profile WD when he examined constructive for Covid at the Memorial in 2021, however Rahm identified on Tuesday that the Players was the solely time he’d withdrawn “of my own will” in his profession.
“It would definitely be a weird feeling if I never got to do it again,” he mentioned.
But Rahm careworn that he was impressed with what he noticed. He spoke to the significance of the event, giving weight to its legacy and custom. That context, he mentioned, made particular person performances that rather more spectacular.
“The fact that I saw TPC Sawgrass come down to having people shoot 20 under par is quite unbelievable,” he mentioned. Scheffler received at 20 below; the trio of Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman completed a shot again at 19 below.
“I couldn’t tell the course conditions, right, I wasn’t there, but it looked like the greens were up to speed,” he mentioned. “The greens at times maybe a little bit softer, but still, to go to that golf course and shoot that low, I would have guessed if you shoot 20 under that you are at least winning by five, so the fact that Scottie only won by one is incredible.”
“What an accomplishment, too, to be the first ever back-to-back champion with pretty much every great golfer in the history of this game having played that tournament at that golf course. To be the first one to do it back-to-back is special.”
Rahm’s LIV friends haven’t all the time been eager to talk to the status of PGA Tour occasions; it was notable to listen to his acknowledgement.
Rahm praised the host website, TPC Sawgrass, the place he mentioned “there’s no way to hide.”
“It’s what makes it such a great championship is when you have such diverse champions,” he mentioned, referring to the different forged of characters which have lifted the trophy in current historical past.
And then he summed it up like all PGA Tour fan may.
“It was fun to watch, and what a finish. Jesus Christ, that was one that was fun to watch. I feel for Wyndham because to come back and play the last three holes the way he did and have that lip-out, it’s gut-wrenching to watch, but it made for great TV, and it was really fun.”
What a gross sales pitch! Rahm reiterated later in the presser that he needs PGA Tour gamers nothing however the finest and that, for the most half, he’s had cordial interactions with these he’s seen. His phrases matched up with that sentiment.
As for the way he’s having fun with his tenure on LIV?
“It’s obviously a little bit different, but I’ve been enjoying it,” he mentioned. He spoke to the expertise of touring to Hong Kong, the place he mentioned he’d fortunately return on trip. The folks have been good, the golf course was incredible and the meals setup was “incredible.”
In different phrases, Rahm expressed no regrets about his choice to go away. Nor did he name for the two leagues to come back again collectively; he urged as a substitute that they coexist.
“I think there’s room for all of us, and there’s room for the game of golf to get to the next level and have more viewership options,” he mentioned.
But as ruminated on his Masters title protection, one reporter requested a closing query about what it’s like not to have the ability to defend his different titles. Wins at the Sentry, at the American Express, at the Genesis…
“I’m not going to lie; for everybody who said [leaving for LIV] would be easy, some things have been, but not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me hasn’t,” Rahm mentioned. “I like Palm Springs. I’ve been capable of win twice there. Riviera is about as charismatic of a golf course as we’ve got. It’s positively every week that it’s incredible for lots of us, and it’s a fan and participant favourite. Not being there was tough.
“I still watched the broadcast. I still watch golf because I love watching it. But it’s hard. It was hard not to be at the Phoenix Open at the end of February, and it was hard not to be at Hawaii because it’s another tournament that my family enjoys and I’ve done fantastic on.”
The choice was all the time complex. There have been all the time tradeoffs. And what occurs subsequent stays unclear; the day earlier than Rahm spoke, PGA Tour representatives had met with LIV financier Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi PIF, as talks between the two excursions proceed. Rahm says he’ll double down on the golf — significantly the week he’s scheduled to return that inexperienced jacket.
“It’s done. It’s past. It’s a decision I made, and I’m comfortable with it,” he mentioned. “But I’m hoping I can come back, and hopefully I can actually defend [Masters] week, as well. That would be a dream come true. Not many back-to-back champions, and that would be very unique to be able to put my name to that list.”
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