Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other Jon Rahm has struggled for form this year since defecting from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, raising further questions about the tour’s competiveness 10: 45, Thu, Jul 11, 2024 | UPDATED: 10: 47, Thu, Jul 11, 2024
Jon Rahm’s frustration was clear to see ahead of LIV Golf Andalucia (Image: LIV Golf)
Jon Rahm has dismissed claims his slump in form is due to a less competitive environment in LIV Golf. The Spaniard was a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour, spending a year as world No.1 and winning the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters.
Since defecting to the Saudi-back competitor in December, however, Rahm has struggled to replicate that – leading to him being labelled a “competitive irrelevance” recently. He’s yet to win any of their events.
And his performances in the majors have been a shadow of his former self. A T45 finish at Augusta was followed by missing the cut at the PGA Championship, and a foot infection saw him forego the US Open.
Facing the media before LIV Golf Andalucia in his home country, Rahm cut a frustrated figure. He’d just graded his season so far as a six or seven out of 10 when he was asked: “Is it something in the format that is less competitive than before?”
Via the Mirror, Rahm simply shot back: “No.” Undeterred, the journalist re-questioned: “So that’s not the thing missing?” Again, Rahm stood firm and responed: “No.”
The persistent reporter probed further: “What’s missing?” To which Rahm said: “It’s not easy to win golf tournaments. I’ve been close. I just haven’t got it done.”
Rahm has endured a tough 2024 compared to his prior form (Image: Getty Images)
The awkward exchange sparked further debate about LIV or the PGA having fiercer competition. One argued: “It should be easy to win in LIV tournaments, Jon. Very few players there that would be competitive on the PGA.”
Another told him: “The answer is yes, LIV is less competitive by a mile.” A third commented: “Haha you can not sit there and tell me that LIV is just as competitive. You LIVer’s man.”
A fourth added: “Just because he doesn’t ‘feel’ like it’s less competitive doesn’t make it less true. The results speak for themselves.”
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On the flip side of the argument, one simply said: “Better golfers at LIV.” A second claimed: “If anything @livgolf_league is harder to win… only three rounds… no more slacker Thursdays… come ready to play or hit the bricks!”
A third pointed out: “His team (Legion 13) has finished first, he finishes in the top five or 10 of nearly every LIV event, dealt with a foot injury, and the season isn’t over. His game is not in decline. Clue to the clueless, no one wins all the time. Golf has its cycles.”
And a fourth suggested: “Only a win at LIV Andalucia, The Open or the Olympics can save Rahm’s season. He has found out the standard on LIV higher than expected.”
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