Jon Rahm misses four things about PGA Tour after leaving for LIV Golf | Golf | Sport
Jon Rahm has revealed he misses the PGA Tour and four courses in particular as he prepares to try and defend his Masters title. The 2023 champion sent shockwaves when he defected to the Saudi breakaway league in December.
LIV not only hosts fewer tournaments than the PGA but also only plays across three days instead of four. Rahm has so far competed in five LIV events, with tied-third his best finish to date.
Rahm has returned to Augusta National this week 12 months on from his triumph but now walks about the club with his team ‘Legion XIII’ clothing on show. But his affection for the PGA Tour is still clear, with a fondness for four golf courses in particular.
“There’s some venues that I miss not being at, not only because I won but just because I love it, right? And that’s the reason why I played well in those tournaments,” Rahm said on Tuesday morning.
“Not being at Palm Springs, Torrey, Phoenix and L.A. wasn’t the easiest. And I’ll keep saying that because those are venues that I absolutely love.
“And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to, seeing the stands, and knowing that I wasn’t going to be there was quite hard. Right? I still love the PGA Tour, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again.”
Ahead of this year’s Masters, Rahm has called for LIV to host 72-hole events instead of the current 54. However, he insists that the reduced playing time hasn’t impacted his preparation.
“Well, you’re saying like playing a little bit less is a bad thing. Which I wouldn’t think it is,” Rahm stated. “If anything, if I had would go based on how I feel today, I feel physically better than I did last year. But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter.”
“Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window; you got to go out there and post a score. “So it’s not something that I have in mind, but I do feel – I do feel fresh and ready for it.”
Rahm’s victory at the Masters last year was seen as a win for the PGA Tour. He admits that part of his decision to move to LIV Golf was to speed up discussions between the two parties.
He said: “I hoped (my move would be) a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement. But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”