By this time last year, Jon Rahm had already won two titles. The Spaniard would cap off the West Coast swing with four top-ten finishes in as many outings. The crowning moment would come at Augusta, earning his maiden Green Jacket. Rahm is allowed to defend his second Major, but not the silverware he hauled in at the PGA Tour. 

A $566M move to LIV Golf has indefinitely blocked him from taking part in any Tour events. Not that he is ruing his decision–Rahm was celebrating the team’s victory despite narrowly missing the individual title himself. But he admits he would “love to go back” to courses that were once his stomping ground.

Jon Rahm acknowledges his torn feelings

Rahm was the past champion at the season-opening Sentry. Reportedly, he was even vacationing in Hawaii and came across a few of his former colleagues. But it hurt the most when the Tour came to West Coast. Especially, during the American Express and the Farmers Insurance open. 

“It was a lot harder to be at home not competing and know that those events were going on. Palm Springs and Torrey, those weeks were hard,” said the 11-time PGA Tour winner in the LIV Golf Las Vegas press conference. Rahm was the defending champion of American Express, where Nick Dunlap stole the limelight this time. The Spaniard was quick to congratulate the then-amateur golfer, however. Jon Rahm has teed up in the Coachella Valley five times, twice coming out as the winner, in addition to netting three top-ten finishes.

On the other hand, Torrey Pines was the venue of his first PGA Tour victory. Rahm has six top-ten finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open from his seven outings. “I’ve explained so many times how important Torrey is for me. And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn’t going to play there, it’s definitely emotional. That’s one of the things that I’m going to miss.”

The defending Masters champion hopes that the $3B framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and PIF, the Saudi sovereign fund financing LIV Golf, reaches a breakthrough soon. “I’m hoping that in the near future, I can be back playing some of those events. I would certainly love to go back and play some of them.” 

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The Legion XIII captain said, “Now, when the tournament started, we’re here to compete, so whatever else is going on, whatever tournament is going on, doesn’t really matter. We’re here to hopefully perform well and win. It’s a lot easier while we’re playing.” Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt, and Kieran Vincent captured the Team title at Mayakoba. The Spaniard came in third, squandering two late chances for a three-way playoff.