Prior to LIV Golf players competing at The Masters next month, Jon Rahm makes an open admission.
According to Jon Rahm, “quite a few” people will be offended that players from LIV Golf will be participating in The Masters next month.
In a teleconference held in advance of the first major of the year at Augusta National from April 11–14, Rahm, 29, expressed his emotions.
During the call, the reigning champion disclosed the menu he would like to see served at the Masters Champions Dinner.
When Rahm declared at the end of 2023 that he was taking a rumored $600 million to join the LIV Golf League, it sent shockwaves through the sport.
His chances of competing in the Ryder Cup were also cast doubt, as he received a suspension from the PGA Tour.
Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm’s European Ryder Cup teammate, joined him when he founded Legion XIII, a new LIV Golf League team.
Kieran Vincent and Caleb Surratt also joined.
Now that he’s gotten used to life in LIV, Rahm spoke to the media about how his game is developing in advance of his Masters defense and the kind of reaction LIV golfers can expect when they drive down Magnolia Lane.
Rahm told reporters on the call:
“I’ve been playing well, but I really can’t wait to get out on the green at the Masters with the rest of the world’s best players.”There probably won’t be many unhappy people, but nothing changes on my end. “I think there’s a way of coexisting and, if there’s some sort of union, I don’t know what that looks like. I still respect everyone on both sides and the game of golf above all.” All I want to see is the best in the world, whatever that means, able to compete against the best in the world once more.” I believe that if some kind of peace is reached, it could actually push the game forward.
Rahm’s teleconference coincided with a meeting in the Bahamas between LIV Golf chairman and Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, along with Tiger Woods and other PGA Tour player directors, with the aim of promoting unity in the sport.
The membership received a memo from PGA Tour CEO Jay Monahan attesting to the success of the meeting.
Woods and Al-Rumayyan even went out for a round of golf.
According to Jon Rahm, his play is improving more than the Masters defense.
Rahm has placed third, eighth, fifth, and fourteenth in his first four LIV Golf starts, but he has yet to win an individual title.
But by the time Rahm showed up at Augusta National last season, he had already secured three titles, so that form is a sharp contrast to how he warmed up for his first Masters victory.
With three weeks until the opening round, Rahm thinks his game is headed in the right direction.
Rahm said:
“I think I’m in a really strong position with my game. Though I haven’t played at my best yet, I can see my game improving with each tournament and reaching a liking point before the Masters.” After all, that is what golf and fans deserve, so I am looking forward to hopefully having a great week and a great Sunday back-nine matchup with some of those great players.
That being said, my goal is to win by cruising the final three holes with an eight or nine-shot lead and knowing that I can win by making a nine or a ten. However, it would also be a lot of fun to play down to the wire and win with a birdie on hole 18. That would be really amazing.”
Rahm is currently the favorite to win The Masters, with odds of 14/1.
A clear 9/2 favorite going into the tournament, Scottie Scheffler is hoping to win two green jackets in as many years.
World No.1 Scheffler has successfully defended the last two tournaments on the PGA Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
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