As Jon Rahm aims for an emotional LIV Golf victory at Valderrama, he was quick to shut down talk of the 54-hole golf tour being “less competitive” and contributing to his winless year so far.
Rahm has won at least once every year since gaining his PGA Tour card in 2017, but has not managed to taste victory in his first season in the LIV Golf League despite finishing in the top 10 in every event he’s played in.
The Spaniard was forced to pull out of the US Open through injury after returning two disappointing results in The Masters and PGA Championship – but he insists he has been playing pretty well.
Rahm hopes to break his duck as the Spanish hero for this week’s LIV Golf Andalucia event at Valderrama – where he issued a frosty response to a question over whether his new tour was the reason behind his winless run.
When asked if the format was less competitive than the PGA Tour, Rahm responded with a frosty look and a short, sharp “no” followed by a reason why he hadn’t tasted victory yet.
“It’s not easy to win golf tournaments,” Rahm added. “I’ve been close. I just haven’t gotten it done.
“There’s been weeks where I feel like I scored a lot better than I felt, and there’s been a couple weeks where it could have been better. Haven’t won yet so that would deduct quite a bit from it.
“The most important thing to understand is that you can have a good year and not win, and you can also have a bad year and be lucky enough to win one week.
“In the end, golf is such a complex sport that cannot be summarized as if you win or not. You can have a good year and the times that you have an opportunity to win, there are two or three players that have a strong week.
“And mentally, there will always been certain challenges. It’s clear that there have been changes this year, but there is a point when you have to get used to certain things or to face other things.
“But I am very comfortable with where I am and so keen to keep competing because I know that in a matter of in one moment, in one swing, or one day that changes it all and you may start a streak of good weeks.”
Rahm arrived at Valderrama with a “childish enthusiasm” to try and earn a home win at such an iconic Spanish golf course in front of plenty of family and friends.
He’s a three-time Spanish Open champion, but Rahm feels this week’s LIV Golf event will be the best quality one he’s played in on home soil, given the big names in the field.
“One of the many things about joining LIV was coming here and playing in front of a Spanish crowd, especially on a level of event and level of competition that I had not really yet enjoyed,” said Rahm.
“I’ve been able to play events in Spain but you didn’t have a world-class stage, I would say. Very fantastic, great players, but it wasn’t the same level of accomplishments that we have in LIV Golf.
“So to come back and be a part of this is quite emotional. It’s very exciting and if there was ever a place to get my first win, anything like that this would be the perfect week, and it is an iconic golf course it.”
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