It’s not as easy to move on as Jon Rahm thought.
The Spanish golf star lamented the inability to defend the titles he had won last season since his move to LIV Golf resulted in an automatic PGA Tour suspension by commissioner Jay Monahan.
Rahm notched victories at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express, The Genesis Invitational and The Masters as he rose to the top of the sport.
Jon Rahm at the LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia on March 1, 2024. Getty Images
“I’m not going to lie; for everybody who said this would be easy, some things have been, but not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me hasn’t,” Rahm told ESPN.
“I love Palm Springs (American Express) — I’ve been able to win twice there. Riviera (Genesis) is about as charismatic of a golf course as we have. It’s definitely a week that is fantastic for a lot of us, and it’s a fan and player favorite. Not being there was difficult.
“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 Hawai’i (Sentry) because it’s another tournament that my family enjoys, and I’ve done fantastic on.”
Rahm became the most prominent player to defect to LIV Golf in December when he left for a reported $500-600 million payday.
While LIV is filled with top players — Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton among them — the tour has failed to gain much traction with fans, playing in front of sparse crowds and garnering paltry TV ratings on the CW.
Jon Rahm regrets not being able to defend the PGA titles he won last year. REUTERS
Members of the PGA Tour players board including Tiger Woods reportedly met with PIF, the Saudi financial arm that funds LIV, this week in the Bahamas.
The negotiations between the two sides have been off and on since a framework agreement was stunningly announced in June with talk that LIV and the PGA Tour would merge as part of the deal.
Rahm will get a chance to defend his Masters title next month after he stormed past Koepka in the final round for a four-shot victory.
It will be a chance for Rahm to reconnect with some of the colleagues and friends he left behind.
Jon Rahm celebrating his 2023 Masters win. REUTERS
“I mean, so far I haven’t had any bad experiences,” Rahm said. “I’ve seen other PGA Tour pros, and I haven’t really seen anything bad. I’m assuming there will be quite a few that are not happy and maybe our dynamics [have] changed, but as it comes to my side, nothing changes. I still respect everybody on both sides and respect the game of golf above all.”
Rahm has finished in the top 10 of all four LIV Golf events thus far this season, but has yet to secure an individual win.
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