Ahed of final 12 months’s Masters, one of many greatest 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 prime 10 in each LIV Golf occasion he has performed. However a big criticism for LIV is that its tournaments don’t obtain Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) factors; due to this fact, 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 skill to play within the 4 greatest tournaments of the 12 months, not like many others. But it surely did have an effect on how typically he competes in opposition to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and different prime 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 in opposition to Jon. He’s an amazing participant, super expertise. I used to be undoubtedly shocked to see him go away final 12 months and I for positive miss taking part in in opposition to 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 is likely to be useless even, I’m undecided precisely, however I really feel like we’ve performed 5 or 6 occasions. Perhaps we’ve performed 5 occasions and halved three of them, and I’ve received one and he’s received one. We’ve performed lots within the final two Ryder Cups, and he’s a terrific man to compete in opposition to. So I undoubtedly miss taking part in in opposition to him. I want he was — I want he obtained to do it extra typically, however undoubtedly will soak in all of the alternatives that I get to compete in opposition to him going ahead.”
A kind of alternatives might be this 12 months’s Masters, the place Scheffler will arrive because the defending champion.
Rahm might 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 laborious truths about LIV Golf on Wednesday that golf followers can relate to throughout this exhaustive interval inside the sport’s historical past.
“I undoubtedly miss the competitors,” Scheffler stated.
“I miss — they obtained some fairly good gamers on their tour. I nonetheless assume the PGA Tour has by far the very best gamers on the planet. The depth of our fields and the competitors that we’ve continues to be arms down the very best competitors that there’s within the recreation of golf. That’s why I’m nonetheless taking part in on the Tour. I really like the competitors. I want a few of these guys had stayed, however on the finish of the day, they made their selection. 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 wished to do, and you realize, I can’t management their life. I’m not going to sit down right here and say they need to have finished one thing otherwise. They made their selection.
“If we wish to work out why the sport of golf just isn’t again collectively, go ask these guys. Go to wherever they’re taking part in this week and work out 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 at the very least the very best of the very best will reunite at Augusta Nationwide, the very best course on the planet for the best match on the planet. Golf followers can rejoice about that, at the very least.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
