Tag: Jon Rahm

Categories
Panorama

Jon Rahm Announces Birth of Third Child

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

Professional golfer Jon Rahm’s third child has been born. Rahm was therefore able to compete in his first DP World Tour tournament of the season.

Birth causes a slight change in plans

After Jon Rahm was unable to take part in the LIV Golf Team Championship last week due to ‘severe flu symptoms’, according to LIV Golf, his participation in this week’s acciona Open de España was uncertain as well. In fact, Rahm’s arrival was delayed by one day: instead of arriving at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid on Tuesday as planned, he arrived on Wednesday and thus missed the Pro-Am tournament. However, the reason for his delay appears to be a happy one: The Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ reports that his wife Kelley Cahill gave birth to their third child a day earlier, on Tuesday.

The couple announced the pregnancy on Instagram in March 2024. The post shows Rahm and his wife Kelley holding their two sons, Kepa (3) and Eneko (2), in their arms. Rahm wrote ‘Officially moving to zone defense, baby Rahm #3 coming soon!’.

 
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
 

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@jonrahm)

At an Open Championship 2024 press conference in July, Rahm hinted at complications with the pregnancy, but did not elaborate.

Now the new baby is born and Rahm is competing at the Open de España with the aim of reclaiming his title. The 2018, 2019 and 2022 winner has the chance to win the trophy in his home country for the fourth time this week.

Jon Rahm’s participation relevant for Ryder Cup eligibility

Rahm’s participation in the DP World Tour tournament is also important for his potential Ryder Cup participation in 2025: only European players who are members of the DP World Tour can represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. The prerequisite for membership is playing at least four DP World Tour tournaments.

After Rahm switched to the LIV Tour in December 2023, he no longer took part in any DP World Tour tournaments. As the Olympic golf tournament also counts, the Open de España is Rahm’s second of four necessary tournaments. Next week he is on the list of participants at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and in October he would like to play the Andalucía Masters in Spain.

Categories
European Tour

Rory McIlroy About Ryder Cup Captaincy: “Some I Wouldn’t Be Okay With”

Rory McIlroy at the press conference ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2024 (Photos: Getty)
Rory McIlroy at the press conference ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2024 (Photos: Getty)

The BMW PGA Championship 2024 is a season highlight on the DP World Tour. After his narrow defeat last week in Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy is playing another of his “favorite tournaments of the year” this week. Ahead of the event, McIlroy answered questions from the press at Wentworth Golf Club and spoke about Jon Rahm’s participation in the Ryder Cup 2025, as well as his requirements for a European captain.

The Leaderboard of the BMW PGA Championship 2024

Rory McIlroy: “Jon Rahm Is A Wonderful Addition to the European Team”

MATTHEW JOULE: World No. 3, Rory McIlroy.

Rory, Royal County Down last week, BMW PGA Championship this week. How nice to be on the DP World Tour this time of year where the big events just keep oncoming?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s amazing. Yeah, I mean, in all honesty, I was really excited to get back and play — obviously play last week. Play this week and the Dunhill in a couple of weeks’ time as well. You know, three of my favourite events of the year.

Yeah, here at Wentworth, the sun is shining and so many people out there on a Wednesday. There’s not many better places to be. So excited to be here. Looking forward to getting back on the horse after what happened last Sunday and giving it another go.

Q. May I ask the same question that I asked Justin yesterday, and that is, can you conceive of a Ryder Cup Team without Jon Rahm?

RORY McILROY: Yeah. He could be injured; his game could go off.

But Jon Rahm, the way he’s playing right now and the way he’s played since he turned pro in 2016 or ’17 or whatever it is, Jon Rahm is a wonderful addition to the European Team.

Q. I meant ruled out because of an inability to follow the rules. That’s what I meant.

RORY McILROY: Well, from my understanding, he is following the rules. He appealed the decision or whatever it is that he did. So that makes him eligible, as long as he plays his minimum number of events, like Members of the Tour have to do to be eligible for the Ryder Cup.

So I wouldn’t expect someone that as a Member of the Tour, you know what the rules are to be able to play a Ryder Cup and be eligible, and as long as you meet that criteria, then you’re okay to play.

McIlroy Sets Clear Requirements For A Ryder Cup Captaincy

Q. Back on the Ryder Cup theme again just for a second if you don’t mind. You may or may not have seen quotes related to Ian Poulter over the last couple of days saying that he still harbors hopes of being a European captain at some point. Is it plausible, or given everything is there too much water gone under that bridge, do you think?

RORY McILROY: I think it’s hard because we don’t really see them anymore, especially — I’m not sure if Poults gave up his European Tour Membership. You know, you need someone around that’s comfortable. You look at what Luke has done the last few years, he’s really made an effort to come over. He played in Czech Republic. He was in Switzerland.

He’s making an effort to be around the players and be — make the players feel comfortable with him, the up-and-comers that haven’t had a chance yet to be on a team or trying to make a team.

With the guys that left, Poulter, Westwood, we don’t — how can these young up and comers, you know, build a rapport with them when they are never here? You can’t see them. I think that’s a really important part of a Ryder Cup and a Ryder Cup captaincy.

I’m not saying that Poulter doesn’t have the credentials to be a Ryder Cup Captain, but I just think with the current state of where everything is, you need someone that’s around and showing their face as much as they can. Right now, that honestly just can’t be them because they are elsewhere.

NB: Under current DP World Tour regulations, any Member who fails to comply with the minimum Counting Tournament Regulation in any one Official Season or who does not take up Ranked Membership in an Official Season in which he is so eligible (ie: falls out of Membership) will be ineligible thereafter to be selected as the European Ryder Cup Captain or Vice Captain.

Q. On a personal level, would you have any objections to being captained by Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood or whoever else could potentially be?

RORY McILROY: It’s such a gray area. There’s some that I would be okay with and others I wouldn’t be okay with. Sorry to put them all in the same bucket.

Categories
European Tour LIV Tour

DP World Tour Rebuffs LIV Golf

Jon Rahm in the dispute between DP World Tour and LIV Golf. (Photo: Getty)
Jon Rahm in the dispute between DP World Tour and LIV Golf. (Photo: Getty)

The LIV Golf League has split the golf world into two camps: The PGA Tour and the DP World Tour clearly distanced themselves from the new tour, imposed sanctions on their players and blocked any rapprochement. The LIV Golf League did not let up and over time the fronts seemed to calm down a little – from allowing the return of players who had left to a joint umbrella organization. Negotiations have recently resumed.

The Jon Rahm case causes a stir

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of fuss about Jon Rahm, one of the best players in the world, who decided to switch to LIV Golf. Although LIV players are now allowed to take part in the coveted major tournaments, the Spaniard would not be able to take part in the Ryder Cup without playing on the DP World Tour. Sports Illustrated reported that before Rahm appealed his sanctions, LIV Golf attempted to strike a deal with the DP World Tour that would lift the penalties for LIV players while offering various concessions and a monetary payout from the league.

By appealing the penalties imposed by the DP World Tour, Jon Rahm has been given the temporary opportunity to play on the DP World Tour and thus participate in the Spanish Open 2024 next week. Not only will he be playing for a DP World Tour victory in his home country, but he can also secure important points for a possible place in the European Ryder Cup team.

To maintain membership, a DP World Tour player must play in at least four tournaments outside the majors. The Olympics count as one of those, so Rahm has three more to go. He will have to do the same in 2025, when the fines theoretically kick in again. It is believed that he owes around 1 million dollars. It can be assumed that the figure for next year will be similar.

Paying off his fine should not be a problem for Jon Rahm or LIV Golf as his backers: LIV Golf has so far paid around 12 million pounds (around 15.75 million dollars) in fines for LIV golfers who have taken part in DP World Tour events – a further 10 million pounds is still outstanding. Rahm could scrape together what he owes without question.

The DP World Tour says “no”

LIV Golf had made an offer to the DP World Tour with the aim of enabling migrated players to participate in selected DP World Tour events. The DP World Tour rejected the offer with the following explanation: “We met with them and listened to their proposal but did not accept it, as our view remains that the focus should continue to be on all stakeholders working together to reach an overall solution that benefits our sport.” This means that the issue surrounding Jon Rahm, which also affects other players such as Tyrrell Hatton, remains.

Categories
Highlights Tours

Jon Rahm and the Ryder Cup Question

Jon Rahm at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. (Image: Getty)
Jon Rahm at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. (Image: Getty)

Jon Rahm could miss the 2025 Ryder Cup. In order to be eligible for the team event, Rahm needs to be eligible to play on the DP World Tour. He will only retain this if he plays four events (excluding majors) on the DP World Tour before the end of the 2024 season. The Spaniard has currently only played one event with his appearance at the Olympics. The Spaniard would like to fulfill the other three appearances at the Open de Espana, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucia Masters. However, in order to be allowed to play there at all, he must pay the fines imposed by the Tour or appeal against them. The two-time major champion commented on the issue ahead of the LIV event in Chicago.

Jon Rahm: “ I Don’t Intend to Pay the Fines”

“We keep trying to have a discussion with [the DPWT] about how we can make this happen” said Rahm, who was asked about the issue at the LIV Chicago PK. The 29-year-old doesn’t have much time left, as the first of the three tournaments on the agenda, the Open de Espana, takes place from September 26-29.

Rahm’s LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton has appealed against the sanctions (fines and suspensions). This appeal allows for a provisional stay of execution and thus participation in the DP World Tour tournaments. Even if the DP World Tour ultimately wins the case (previous cases involving other players have gone in the Tour’s favor), the players can still take part in the tournaments thanks to the postponement and thus meet the required number of participations.

Update: According to ESPN Jon Rahm appealed against the sanctions on Thursday and is therefore allowed to play DP World Tour events until an independent panel decides whether he has to pay the fine.

Brooks Koepka also Wants to Play in the Links Championship – Just Like the LIV Boss in 2023

Brooks Koepka also announced in the run-up to the tournament in Chicago that he wants to tee it up at the Links Championship in October. “St. Andrews is my favorite course in the world,” Koepka said. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship takes place on three courses, including the Old Course in St. Andrews. LIV players are regular guests on the former European Tour – but not only the players, but also PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan. He took part in the prestigious Links Championship as an amateur in 2023. Curious: the head of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was initially known by the pseudonym Andrew Watermann.

Incidentally, Al-Rumayyan’s LIV golfers have already won seven tournaments in the current DP World Tour season, and five of the first six events of the season were won by LIV players.

Categories
Top Tours

Jon Rahm: “They just Make something Up”

Jon Rahm (Image: Getty)
Jon Rahm (Image: Getty)

Just under a week ago, US golf journalist Jaime Diaz fueled the rumor mill surrounding Jon Rahm. In a lengthy Golf Digest article, Diaz cited an alleged statement from an unnamed “veteran tour insider” who said of Rahm: “I am 100 percent positive that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and come back to the tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough. Now there are only four times a year when he’s playing that anybody is remotely interested. He thought his stature in the game was secure no matter where he was playing, and it was a bad miscalculation”. During a rain delay at the LIV event at Greenbrier last weekend, Rahm was confronted with the statement and asked for a reaction, according to the X account “Pro Golf Critic”. A video recording of Rahm’s reaction does not exist, so it is not 100 percent verifiable whether he really reacted as follows.

Jon Rahm: “Couldn’t be further from the truth”

The Spaniard responded: “Yeah that’s why I can’t stop smiling out here. They just make something up.[The claim of the insider] Couldn’t be further from the truth”. The two-time major champion’s answer – if it was really given – can now be believed or not. To realize that the alleged claim of the “veteran tour insider” may not be completely out of thin air, you only need to recall a few of Jon Rahm’s statements during 2024.

Here are three statements made by the 29-year-old during the season: “Not being there was difficult. It’s a decision I made, and I’m comfortable with it. […] But I hope I can come back”. That is a statement made by Rahm at the beginning of 2024, when talking about the three PGA Tour tournaments he was not allowed to defend due to his defection to LIV. With regard to a change in the LIV format from 54- to 72-hole tournaments, he made the following comments in April: “The closer we can get LIV to do some of these things, the better”. In the run-up to the 2024 PGA Championship, the former Masters champion caused a stir when he said the following: “I’m still a PGA Tour member, whether suspended or not & I still want to support the PGA Tour”.

Categories
Highlights Tours

Jon Rahm Withdraws from US Open 2024 Due to Toe Injury

Jon Rahm withdrawed from the US Open 2024. (Source: Getty)
Jon Rahm withdrawed from the US Open 2024. (Source: Getty)

In a surprising turn of events, Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the US Open 2024, citing a peculiar toe injury. On a blazing hot Tuesday afternoon at Pinehurst No. 2, Rahm was seen limping around the course in an unusual footwear combination: a golf shoe on one foot and a flip-flop on the other. The unconventional choice drew attention, revealing a large bandage wrapped around his two smallest toes on his flip-flop-clad foot. Despite the seemingly minor appearance of the injury, Rahm’s pronounced limp suggested a deeper issue.

Jon Rahm Withdraws From the US Open 2024

Later that day, Rahm announced his withdrawal via social media. “After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health to withdraw from this week’s US Open Championship,” he wrote. “To say I’m disappointed is a massive understatement! I wish all my peers the best of luck and want to thank all of the USGA staff, volunteers, and the Pinehurst community for hosting what I’m sure will be an amazing championship! Hopefully I’ll be back in action sooner than later!”

Infection Caused the Withdraw

The injury, described as a “lesion” between his fourth and pinkie toes, became infected during the LIV Golf tournament in Houston the previous week. Rahm, who had to withdraw from that event as well, explained that a numbing injection intended to manage the pain led to severe discomfort, forcing him to exit the tournament early. “I don’t know how or what happened, but it got infected,” Rahm said during a press conference on Tuesday morning. “The pain was high.” Despite his efforts to manage the injury and the medical advice to keep the area dry, Rahm’s condition did not improve sufficiently. He had not stepped onto the Pinehurst course for practice, hoping to allow his toe more time to heal. His terse demeanor during the press conference reflected his frustration and uncertainty about his ability to compete.

When asked about the injury’s impact, Rahm was forthright. “Oh, it’s a concern,” he admitted. “It’s doing better, but it’s definitely still in pain.” Although Rahm’s appearance at the press conference initially raised hopes that he might compete, his comments suggested otherwise. “Could I have dragged myself out there and posted some kind of a score? Yeah. But it was getting to a point where I wasn’t making the swings I wanted to make, and I could have hurt other parts of my swing just because of the pain,” he said regarding his withdrawal in Houston. His uncertainty about the US Open 2024 became clear as he concluded, “As to right now this week, I don’t know.” By Tuesday evening, Rahm decided he had seen enough, officially withdrawing from the US Open just after 5 p.m. local time. His withdrawal opened up a spot for Jackson Suber, a 24-year-old Korn Ferry Tour pro from Tampa, Florida.

Categories
Highlights Tours Live

Foot Injury: Jon Rahm Withdraws LIV Event – Start at US Open Jeopardised?

Jon Rahm withdraws at LIV Event one week before the US Open 2024. (Image: Getty)
Jon Rahm withdraws at LIV Event one week before the US Open 2024. (Image: Getty)

Jon Rahm is not happy with his sporting life at the moment. The LIV Golf League‘s multi-million purchase is unfamiliar with the competitive circuit, isn’t really getting into his stride as a golfer either, hasn’t played a role in the majors so far this year – tied 45th at the Masters Tournament, missed the cut at the PGA Championship – and now even has to fear for his start at the US Open this week on the No. 2 course at Pinehurst.

Jon Rahm’s US Open 2024 in jeopardy?

Rahm, now number seven in the world, is suffering from inflammation in his left foot and had to pull out of the LIV event at the weekend in Houston/Texas during the second round as a result. The problems had already become apparent on the opening day; according to the LIV, the two-time major winner from Spain probably has a cut between his toes, which has apparently become infected. However, the bookmakers still have Rahm at 16-1 odds to win his second US Open triumph after Torrey Pines in 2021.

Categories
Professionals

Forbes 2024: LIV Deal Boosts Jon Rahm to Second Place

Behind Cristiano Ronaldo and ahead of Lionel Messi, Jon Rahm ranks second on the Forbes list. (Photos: Getty)
Behind Cristiano Ronaldo and ahead of Lionel Messi, Jon Rahm ranks second on the Forbes list. (Photos: Getty)

A few days ago, the magazine ‘Forbes’ published its annually updated list of the world’s best-paid athletes. While Portugal’s soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo defends his place in the sun, Jon Rahm makes the biggest leap in the entire ranking, taking second place. The Spaniard has not only pushed Lionel Messi into third place, but is also among the top 3 earners in the sporting world as a golfer for the first time since Tiger Woods in 2013 (1st). The salaries from LIV Golf make it possible.

Forbes List 2024: Rahm, McIlroy & Co. – The five golfers of the ranking

Between May 2023 and May 2024, Forbes examined the total income of the world’s highest-paid athletes, as it does every year. The list of the 50 top earners also includes five golfers, among whom a recent LIV star plays a special role. Jon Rahm was not even among the top 50 in the previous year’s list, but is in second place this year with a total income of 218 million US dollars (201 million euros). The Spaniard owes this primarily to his lucrative LIV deal: According to Forbes, a full 198 million dollars of this comes from his income/contracts on the golf course, while ‘only’ 20 million dollars was earned off the golf course, for example through advertising revenue. This means that only Cristiano Ronaldo earned more in the last twelve months, defending his place from the previous year with a total income of 260 million dollars (240 million euros).

Jon Rahm and the second highest-paid golfer on the list are mainly separated by soccer and basketball stars such as Lionel Messi (3rd), LeBron James (4th), Kylian Mbappé (6th) and Stephen Curry (9th). Finally, Rory McIlroy, who was recently replaced by Xander Schauffele in second place in the world golf rankings after a long time, follows in 19th place. The Northern Irishman has a total income of 80.1 million dollars (73.8 million euros) and is therefore four places ahead of Tiger Woods with a total income of 67.2 million dollars (61.9 million euros). It is particularly striking that the 48-year-old alone earned 55 million dollars outside the golf course, for example through advertising revenue. This puts Woods in sixth place in this category. World number one and reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is in 29th place with 59.2 million dollars (54.6 million euros). The last golfer on the list is Cameron Smith, like Jon Rahm a player on the LIV Tour, with 48 million dollars (44.2 million euros).

The impact of LIV Golf changes the Forbes list

In 2013, Tiger Woods in first place (78.1 million dollars) was the last golfer to occupy one of the top three places on the Forbes list; between 2018 and 2022, only once did a golfer occupy a place among the ten highest-paid athletes in the world (2020: Tiger Woods in eighth place). This changed abruptly with the salaries of LIV Golf. In 2023, the two LIV golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were ranked sixth and seventh respectively. This year, Jon Rahm provided the biggest jump of the year with a second place finish and the first top three finish by a golfer since 2013. Rahm, who was not on the list last year, caused an uproar in the golf world when he signed with LIV Golf in December last year. While the details of the contract have not been released, it has already been reported to be at least $300 million over several years. We can certainly expect to see more LIV Golfers among the top earners in the sporting world in the future.

Categories
Highlights Tours

PGA Championship 2024: Jon Rahm with Outburst

Jon Rahm in the first round of the PGA Championship 2024. (Image: getty)
Jon Rahm in the first round of the PGA Championship 2024. (Image: getty)

Who hasn’t experienced it? You are in a good position on the fairway and the shot into the green seems safe and feasible. But instead of a safe two-putt from a few metres, the approach fails and instead you find yourself in an uncomfortable position off the green. Every golfer has probably felt like this at one time or another. Jon Rahm recently proved that even the top stars on the tour are not immune to this in round 1 of the 2024 PGA Championship.

View all live scores for the PGA Championship 2024

Jon Rahm’s Outburst in Round 1 of the 2024 PGA Championship

Rahm attempted a shot onto the green on the 16th hole from 175 yards (160 metres). At 503 yards (around 460 metres), the par 4 is one of the longest par 4s in Valhalla and also one of the most difficult holes, ranking third. A par is therefore desirable here, but no disgrace if it doesn’t work out. Things initially looked good for Rahm after a strong tee shot, but he fluffed his shot onto the green and missed the short cut on the left. The Spaniard probably felt this miss in his swing and saw it in flight, as he vented his anger with a club throw.
The Spaniard is well known for the odd curse on the course, but now his golf club had to suffer and found its way to the ground. Apparently this short club throw brought Rahm back down to earth, as the up-and-down for par and two final birdies on holes 17 and 18 followed.

Follow the 2024 PGA Championship live blog

The Video of Rahm’s Outburst:

Categories
Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024: Jon Rahm With Hole-Out for Birdie

Jon Rahm in the final round of the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
Jon Rahm in the final round of the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)

The final day of the Masters Tournament 2024 has gone exceptionally well for Jon Rahm so far, considering the defending champion’s performances in the previous round. But with this extraordinary birdie, he probably tops all previous shots in his tournament.

Follow all Masters Tournament Live Scores

Hole-out for birdie: Jon Rahm with a magic shot at the Masters Tournament 2024

After a poor tee shot between the trees on the right-hand side of the seventh fairway, Jon Rahm could only save himself with a flat chip back onto the fairway. The par no longer seemed safe at this point and a birdie was certainly out of the question from the Spaniard’s perspective. But, as we all know, one should never give up hope. From 80 yards, Rahm achieved a feat with his wedge and the ball went into the hole for a birdie.

The Spaniard’s hole-out in the video:

Follow Jon Rahm at the Masters Tournament live