Jon Rahm confesses that he has not stopped watching golf. That he has not stopped watching the PGA Tour. He likes his sport too much to punish himself in that way. He admits that it has been hard to watch tournaments like the American Express, Riviera, Torrey Pines or the THE PLAYERS on television and not be playing. He is confident of playing these tournaments again, although he also makes it clear that he does not regret his decision to move to LIV. He simply assumes the painful consequences of what he did.
In this regard, it is appreciated that Jon does not overact and openly confesses that he had a great time as a small child watching the last round of THE PLAYERS Championship. “There are some tournaments that I am definitely missing. I hope to play THE PLAYERS again. It would be a bit bitter if my last participation there was a withdrawal due to illness”. Regarding the tournament that ended on Sunday, “the fact that Scottie Scheffler only won by one is incredible. What an achievement, as well as being the first champion to repeat seeing all those who have tried in history. What he has done is special. It is a very difficult course that there is no way to dominate for a long time, because you simply have to be the best. Every part of your game has to be great and you have to play as best you can. There is no way to hide. That’s what makes it have such diverse champions. It was fun to watch. What an ending. Jesus, it was a lot of fun. I feel sorry for Wyndham. That tie was heartbreaking, but I had a great time, very fun”.
Rahm does not hide that he is missing the PGA Tour. “I’m not going to lie. Those who said it would be easy, no, some things have been, but others have not, like not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me, Palm Springs, Riviera, which is the most charismatic golf course we have, it was hard not to be in Phoenix, it was hard not to be in Hawaii… I keep watching the broadcast. I keep watching golf because I love it. But it’s hard,” he acknowledges.
Jon tips his hat to Scheffler. He has suffered him for two years and nobody has to discover him. “I am fully aware of who Scottie is. He is a great competitor. When you are under pressure and you have to do it, he is capable. He has a great partnership with Ted Scott (his caddie) and they clearly work very well together. I don’t need to play alongside him to know what he is doing. What he is doing is historic and it is quite impressive,” he points out.
In this regard, he acknowledges that he is looking forward to playing the Masters, among other things, to face all the best again. “I think that’s what makes this Masters and the other Majors going to be so much fun, not only for me and the players, but also for the spectators, that we can all play together again and show what we are capable of,” he points out.
Precisely, regarding the future of golf, Jon proposes a Champions League type formula in football. The PGA Tour, LIV Golf, DP World Tour would be like the Premier, the League and the Serie A and then there would be the Champions League where all the best from each league would play. “The future of golf depends on the people at the top. I think there is a way to coexist. I just want to be able to see the best in the world compete against the best, whatever it takes. I think there is room for all of us. In football, for example, we have the Premier League, the Spanish League, the Bundesliga, the Serie A, the French league and, in addition, the Champions League and the Eurocup of national teams. Everyone watches them. I think there is a way for golf to work and to be able to offer a different product that is better for everyone. I think there is room for individual and team golf,” he argues.
Finally, regarding LIV Golf, Jon assures that he is enjoying it. “It’s a bit different, but I’m enjoying it. We’ve been in fantastic places and I must tell people who haven’t been to Hong Kong that I highly recommend it. I rarely go to a city and leave it and say, man, I would come here on vacation on my own; I would take a long flight and be here because it was extremely fun. The people were the nicest. The golf course is fantastic and the food in that city is amazing. There are good restaurants and good experiences. So far it has been great. I’ve played good golf. But I’m looking forward to joining the rest of the world’s best golfers and playing with them at the Masters,” he stresses.
