The start of the LIV Golf season was almost a dream for Jon Rahm. The Legion XIII he captains achieved victory in the team event with an impressive result. And in the individual standings, the man from Barrika was tied for second, just two strokes behind the champion, Adrian Meronk. The Spanish golfer was satisfied with his squad’s performance, reflected on the experience of playing at night, and explained why, in his opinion, he couldn’t achieve a full victory by winning the tournament, something that left him somewhat frustrated due to his ambition to always win.
This 2025 has been the second consecutive year that Rahm’s team has won the first event of the season, marking their fifth team victory in the 15 events they have competed in. Tremendous records: “It was exceptional. The first round was incredible. Shooting 24 under par was sensational, and following it with another great second round… It’s not the easiest week, especially for the young ones. None of us have really played at night, so it was new for everyone. But Caleb comes from a year where he didn’t play his best, although he had very good memories here from December, when he almost won the Saudi International, and then Tom is a fantastic player, an incredible talent, no wonder he played well, but I think if you think about a debut, this could be one of the toughest weeks because everything is different. But he showed a bit of what he’s worth. He’s a talent, a superstar that hasn’t yet been shown to the world, I’m very glad we could bring him into the team.”
“Every day I’ve made two big avoidable mistakes; I played well enough to win, but it wasn’t my week”
The joy of the Spaniard for the performance of Legion XIII contrasts with his feelings in the individual tournament: “It was frustrating. Every day I made, I would say, two big mistakes that I think were avoidable, two very easy to point out. I made bogey on two par 5s without any penalty strokes and being in play, in a decent spot or a good position. They were correctable mistakes, I honestly think I played well enough to win. It just wasn’t my week. But I could go over the rounds and tell you a couple of moments a day that could have changed things.”
Regarding playing under the lights, Jon was happy with the result, although he avoided considering his team as the ‘kings of the night’: “I don’t know, I don’t know. But I must say there is a golf course in Dubai, where Tom lives, that is fully lit, so he did have a bit of extra practice compared to the rest. Luckily, in Phoenix, we have Grass Clippings, which is also a par-three course lit at night, so I played a couple of rounds before coming here in very cold weather, so I had an idea of what to expect this week. I wouldn’t say we’re the kings of the night. I think if we come back next year and win, then maybe we can start talking about it, but one week doesn’t prove anything.”
Finally, Rahm referred to the fact that Legion XIII is the youngest team in LIV Golf this season: “You know? It’s no coincidence that I’ve tried to keep the team young. The idea here is, hopefully, to find four really strong players and form a team that lasts a long time together. Hopefully, we can create a powerhouse that can do what many other teams in other disciplines have been able to do. It might be a bit early to say, but the goal is there. Tyrrell and I have the experience, and then we have two younger guys with so much talent, so, yes, I like our chances of seeing the podium again, and I had high hopes at the start of this year. I think this week just shows what we can do.”
