Jon Rahm finished his second season in LIV Golf in the best possible way. If in his first year on the Saudi tour the Barrika native was crowned individual champion, this year he achieved a fantastic double, winning the Order of Merit and playing a decisive role in his team, the Legion XIII, winning the final in Michigan yesterday in an exciting playoff against the Crushers led by Bryson DeChambeau. A shower of millions for the Spaniard who appeared at the key moment alongside his second-in-command, the Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.
“Being the number one seed is never easy… the young guys on the team carried us in the match play and kept us in the fight until Tyrrell and I woke up on the 17th hole,” Jon acknowledged at the official press conference on Sunday. Thanks to the great performance of Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt, the Legion XIII had a chance at the end. And the birdies from both the Spaniard and Tyrrell on the 17th and 18th holes, along with their performance in the playoff, tipped the balance in a thrilling finish against one of the teams that always aim for everything.
“The playoff was the icing on the cake. I didn’t want to think about losing three weeks in a row in a tiebreaker. I was very positive all day and Tyrrell made that putt on the first hole… in the end, we did it,” Rahm said. “I am extremely proud of everyone and truly happy that it’s us up here,” he added, before explaining how that final round went: “Today I changed my mindset a bit. Yes, you worry about your own round, but it’s really a team effort, there’s no other way to put it.”
The Barrika native never lost hope even though in the last holes it seemed like the Crushers had the victory well on track: “I was saying to myself: in three holes, with four players, you have 12 birdie opportunities. I knew a lot could still happen… You should never stop fighting until the end.” And the final comeback, along with the playoff, allowed Jon to get rid of a thorn, after having won the individual title without partial victories all year: “In a way, if there was ever a doubt or an asterisk for having won the whole season without winning a tournament, this erases it. It’s validation for all of us as a team.”
“I feel a bit of extra pride because this was my team since I joined the league. I chose the players and wouldn’t want to share this moment with anyone else,” the Basque golfer acknowledged before concluding his speech, alongside the rest of his team, in front of the media. And as a finale, he highlighted the virtues of the Michigan course that hosted the great team final: “This course is a great stage for the format: you’re going to see lots of birdies, mistakes, volatility… It’s a perfect recipe for there to always be excitement.”
