Is Jon Rahm one of the best golfers today? Most would agree, ranking him alongside Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy. But what about the history? That is a question that still can’t be answered. The 30-year-old has a long career ahead of him and needs to achieve a lot more to get that title. He might still get there, but one of Rahm’s idols believes that he has lost the opportunity to even be one of the best Spanish golfers in the world.

Back in April 2024, the Legion XIII captain interviewed for the Golf Digest a day before the Masters Tournament. That’s when Rahm revealed that he idolizes fellow Spanish pro, José María Olazábal. The 2023 Masters Tournament winner sought guidance from another Masters legend hours before he stepped on to Augusta Nationals to defend his title. While Rahm might be a fan of Olazábal, the same might not be the case the other way around. The reason? A switch to LIV Golf.

HANDICAP 54 shared a statement made by the Spanish legend. The interviewer mentioned, “Jon Rahm had an extraordinary future and the opportunity to make history, to write golden pages of golf. I don’t know if he will be able to do it now. Playing LIV is not the best preparation for the majors.” He thinks that Rahm ruined his legacy by moving to LIV Golf. And despite defending the Legion XIII player, Olazábal agreed that “Seve (Ballesteros) was a defender of being able to play wherever one wanted, but history was also very important to him. And LIV doesn’t give you that.” The Spanish legend firmly believes Jon Rahm’s opportunities in LIV Golf aren’t enough to make history.

So, he won’t be able to follow the path of another one of his idols, Seve Ballesteros. But what prompted José María Olazábal to say that about Jon Rahm? Maybe a comparison between the latter’s career and Seve Ballesteros’s accomplishments.

Jon Rahm vs Seve Ballesteros: Career trajectory

As we have already mentioned, Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters Tournament. But what every golf fan would know is that he also captured the 2021 U.S. Open title. Additionally, the Spaniard had another 9 victories to his name, making him an 11x PGA Tour winner. Rahm has won 8 more titles internationally. Most of these victories came during his time at the DP World Tour. Rahm also captured the 2018 Hero World Challenge beating a field that included Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, and Bubba Watson by 4 strokes. Lastly, the 30-year-old dominated the 2024 LIV Golf season to win the individual title. Rahm was also part of the 2018  and 2023 Ryder Cup Team Europe squad that won the tournament. That’s 3 appearances in the tournament.

Seve Ballesteros had 2 less PGA Tour victories in his career. But that included 5 major wins in 10 years. The Spanish legend’s biggest achievements were in Europe, where he won 50 titles in his career. The late Ballesteros had received six European Tour Order of Merits throughout his career. Rory McIlroy equaled that record a few months ago after his 2024 DP World Tour Championship win. McIlroy also considers Ballesteros as an idol. An interesting fact: Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm’s former boss, Greg Norman shared a defeat to Larry Mize in the 1987 Masters Tournament.

Jon Rahm’s insistence on skipping the DP World Tour events might lead to him missing out on following his idol’s footsteps. LIV Golf’s weaker competition could leave Rahm unprepared for majors, making another title tougher to win. He’s at risk of missing his idol’s historic milestones. Do you agree with what José María Olazábal had to say about Jon Rahm? Let us know in the comments section.