Ahed of final yr’s Masters, one of many largest dialogue factors revolved across the defending champion and the way he had made an Earth-shattering transfer only a few months earlier than.
Jon Rahm went to LIV Golf, a choice he felt was finest for himself and his household. He has had a profitable run on the Saudi-backed circuit, ending within the high 10 in each LIV Golf occasion he has performed. However a major criticism for LIV is that its tournaments don’t obtain Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) factors; subsequently, LIV gamers have a harder time making it into main championship fields.
And but, that doesn’t apply to Rahm. His victory at Augusta Nationwide in 2023 secured him a spot in The Masters for all times. He additionally has exemptions into the 4 majors for fairly a while — becoming a member of LIV didn’t have an effect on Rahm’s capability to play within the 4 largest tournaments of the yr, in contrast to many others. However it did have an effect on how usually he competes towards World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and different high gamers who determined to stay on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler talked about Rahm and this actuality on Wednesday.
“One of many nice joyous of my profession goes up towards Jon. He’s an incredible participant, large expertise. I used to be positively stunned to see him depart final yr and I for certain miss taking part in towards him,” Scheffler stated.
“We had some nice battles over time. We had some nice battles within the Ryder Cup. I feel we’ve halved most of our matches within the Ryder Cup, Jon and I’ve. I feel we could be lifeless even, I’m undecided precisely, however I really feel like we’ve performed 5 or 6 instances. Perhaps we’ve performed 5 instances and halved three of them, and I’ve gained one and he’s gained one. We’ve performed quite a bit within the final two Ryder Cups, and he’s a fantastic man to compete towards. So I positively miss taking part in towards him. I want he was — I want he received to do it extra usually, however positively will soak in all of the alternatives that I get to compete towards him going ahead.”
A type of alternatives shall be this yr’s Masters, the place Scheffler will arrive because the defending champion.
Rahm shall be there, too, together with 10 different LIV gamers.
But the game stays divided, regardless of the tour assembly with the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF), LIV’s beneficiary, and the President of america to attempt to resolve this schism.
That led Scheffler to drop some exhausting truths about LIV Golf on Wednesday that golf followers can relate to throughout this exhaustive interval inside the sport’s historical past.
“I positively miss the competitors,” Scheffler stated.
“I miss — they received some fairly good gamers on their tour. I nonetheless assume the PGA Tour has by far the perfect gamers on the planet. The depth of our fields and the competitors that we now have continues to be fingers down the perfect competitors that there’s within the sport of golf. That’s why I’m nonetheless taking part in on the Tour. I like the competitors. I want a few of these guys had stayed, however on the finish of the day, they made their alternative. They knew the results of that call, and I’m not right here to vary their minds. I maintain no in poor health will towards any of these guys that left. They did what they needed to do, and you recognize, I can’t management their life. I’m not going to take a seat right here and say they need to have executed one thing in a different way. They made their alternative.
“If we need to determine why the sport of golf isn’t again collectively, go ask these guys. Go to wherever they’re taking part in this week and determine when the sport goes to return again collectively. We’ll see.”
Who is aware of how issues will play out within the weeks and months to return. However not less than the perfect of the perfect will reunite at Augusta Nationwide, the perfect course on the planet for the best event on the planet. Golf followers can rejoice about that, not less than.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
