Jon Rahm reminded of ‘difficult’ LIV Golf problem ahead Memorial Tournament

Jon Rahm will not have the opportunity to defend his 2020 title at the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament this weekend due to his defection to LIV Golf last December.

Rahm’s current focus is on LIV Golf Houston, but a part of him may long for the chance to defend his Memorial Tournament title. The Spaniard won the Memorial Tournament in July 2020, finishing 9-under at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Since joining LIV Golf, Rahm, now 29, is barred from competing in the Memorial Tournament or any other PGA Tour events.

In March, Rahm admitted he misses defending titles that are meaningful to him. “For everybody who said this would be easy, some things have been, but not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me hasn’t,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

Rahm nearly achieved back-to-back wins at the Memorial Tournament in 2021, leading the field by six strokes in the third round. However, he had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. “I’m very disappointed in having to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament. This is one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people,” he wrote in an official statement at the time.

It is uncertain if Rahm will ever compete in the Memorial Tournament again. Since joining LIV Golf last December, he has been banned from PGA Tour events. However, his win at the 2023 Masters grants him a free pass to Augusta National and five-year exemptions to the U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship.

Rahm had a strong 2023, securing victories at the PGA Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the American Express in Palm Springs, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and the Masters in Augusta. Despite being allowed to compete in the Masters, he was barred from the other three major tournaments.

“I love Palm Springs. I’ve won twice there. Riviera is about as charismatic a golf course as we have. Not being there was difficult,” Rahm said. “I still watch golf because I love it. But it’s hard. It was hard not to be at the Phoenix Open in February and at Hawaii.”

Despite these challenges, Rahm appears to enjoy his new role as captain of Legion XIII in LIV Golf, which reportedly offered him £450 million ($566.4 million) to join. He has earned £4,025,303 ($5,095,321) in the first seven tournaments of the season, placing him eighth in earnings among all players in the Saudi-backed league.