Spanish professional golfer Jon Rahm, recognized for his focus and dedication, has been directing his attention towards the forthcoming LIV Golf Houston event. Despite maintaining this dedicated focus, he cannot help but harbour a sense of regret at the inability to defend his esteemed title in the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. In July of 2020, Rahm achieved a significant triumph in the Memorial Tournament, culminating in a commendable 9-under finish at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. Regrettably, since aligning with LIV Golf, he is expressly prohibited from participating in any PGA Tour events, including the Memorial Tournament.
Rahm has openly communicated his disappointment concerning the inability to uphold his previous victories, articulating, “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.” His desire to partake in the Memorial Tournament is unmistakable, especially considering his victorious performance in 2020 and his near-triumphant display in the prior year’s tournament, during which he was compelled to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.
In spite of these profound challenges, Rahm was accorded exemptions to esteemed competitions such as Augusta National, the U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship, as a result of his resounding victory at the 2023 Masters. His laudatory campaign in 2023 consisted of triumphs at the PGA Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the American Express at Palm Springs, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and the Masters in Augusta. Nevertheless, he was regrettably unable to partake in the remaining three tournaments, an undeniable source of difficulty for him.
Subsequently, Rahm appears to be wholeheartedly embracing his role as the captain of Legion XIII within LIV Golf, an endeavour for which he is purported to have been compensated with a substantial amount of £450m ($566.4m) for his participation. Notwithstanding the constraints imposed by LIV Golf, Rahm has remarkably amassed £4,025,303 ($5,095,321) throughout the initial seven tournaments of the season, emerging as the eighth highest earner amongst all players in the league.
The outlook for Rahm’s future with regards to a potential return to the PGA Tour, particularly the Memorial Tournament, remains shrouded in uncertainty. Nevertheless, in the interim, he steadfastly perseveres in LIV Golf while retaining an optimistic outlook on his illustrious career.