How does Rahm spell relief? W-I-N
Spaniard heads to Olympics with jolt of confidence; Stray Shots on Vegas and money
Jon Rahm lifts first individual trophy since the 2023 Masters (Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
Finishing among the top 10 in each of his LIV Golf appearances was a sign that Jon Rahm hasn’t exactly been terrible in 2024. But with no victories, a relatively lackluster major championship run, all the hype surrounding his signing last December … yeah, it wasn’t great that the two-time major champion was 0-for-2024.
That changed on Sunday when Rahm prevailed at the LIV Golf UK event in England, with his Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton missing a 6-foot par putt on the final hole at the JCB Club that would have forced a sudden-death playoff.
Rahm had not won anywhere since his 2023 Masters triumph. He is competing for Spain in this week’s men’s Olympic Golf Competition at Le Golf National, where he will be among the favorites to win the gold medal.
“Personally, I will say a bit relieved, having top-tenned pretty much every time I’ve teed it up and given myself plenty of chances to win, and finally getting it done feels very good,” Rahm said. “Feels like I got a lot of weight off my shoulders on that one.”
Rahm had tied for 45th in his Masters defense, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, withdrew from the U.S. Open due to an infection on his foot and then tied for seventh at the Open, where he briefly made a final-day run at the leaders.
That form from Royal Troon carried over to LIV Golf’s 11th event of the year. Rahm, whose Legion XIII team won the team title for the four time, said it was awkward celebrating in the aftermath of a teammate miss such as Hatton’s. Such is life with LIV Golf.
“Finally got one done,” Rahm said. “You never want to get those feelings to go on for too long, and to get over the hump feels great, incredible. It’s been a fantastic week and a fantastic year, and just relieved that it happened.”
Rahm has slipped from No. 3 to No. 10 in the world, earning Official World Golf Ranking points at only the major championships. He’s eligible to pick up more OWGR points at this week’s Olympics.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” he said before heading to Paris. “Relief, like I said. Had I gone next week and performed well again and given myself a chance going into the last six, seven holes, maybe it might have felt different if I hadn’t won. But having gotten over it, I think I would approach a moment like that with a little bit more confidence, especially after learning from what I could have done better today.
“It’s something I really look forward to. It’s going to be a fantastic week to share with David (Puig), being another LIV member, a player that’s become a really close friend of mine. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and hopefully one of us has a chance to get the gold.”
LIV mates David Puig and Jon Rahm comprise Spain’s Olympics team (LIV Golf)
In March, Rahm announced that he and his wife, Kelley, were expecting a third child. Rahm revealed at the Open that his wife is on bedrest, which could impact his ability to compete in DP World Tour events later in the year that he needs to be eligible for the European Ryder Cup team in 2025.
“It hasn’t been the easiest year for our family,” Rahm said. “Kelley and I have gone through quite a bit, and she has gone through even more, being on bedrest among many other things. To get this one done — she did tell me, our son, Kepa, said to bring a trophy home in this stretch of golf, and I started to believe it was going to happen at one point (Sunday). Maybe not in the last 20 minutes. But at least I can look at them and say I’m bringing one home for them.”