Jon Rahm will take to Augusta National Thursday with the hope of repeating as The Masters champion. Rahm’s win last year came mere months after he defected the PGA for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. It was a major backdrop as the Spaniard put on the Green Jacket as the winner of the Major tournament.
Fast forward a calendar year, and things have changed big time as it relates to LIV Golf, the PGA and the Major tournaments.
Rahm has since taken time to criticize LIV Golf and what he’s seeing from the circuit.
“If there ever was a way where LIV could go to 72 holes I think it would help all of this argument a lot. The closer I think we can get LIV Golf to some other things the better. I think it would be for some kind of unification to feed into a world tour or something like that. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I definitely wouldn’t mind going back to 72 holes.”
Jon Rahm, via Fox News
This minor criticism comes at a time that LIV Golf has not become as popular as the billionaire-backed circuit had hoped. It also comes with Rahm reportedly making as much as $600 million on his deal with the foreign tour and at a time that LIV is in the news with multiple players set to take part in The Masters.
Related: LIV Golfers At The Masters
Nick Faldo Blasts Jon Rahm Over Move To LIV Golf Ahead Of The Masters
Never one to be afraid to say what he thinks, this six-time Major champion absolutely threw the gauntlet down on Rahm recently. He was not subtle. He suggests that Rahm’s decision to defect to LIV was motivated solely by money.
“I’m not too sure – apart from one reason – why he went to LIV,” Faldo said, via The Telegraph.
To be clear, Faldo has in the past been a major critic of LIV Golf. He even went as far as to call it “meaningless.” He’s not exactly objective when it comes to this. Faldo also expanded on his criticism of Rahm.
“Being a competitor, it can’t be deemed the same, can it? These events are on resort courses, without the atmosphere or intensity. At the Masters, you’re thrown in at the deep end, and it’s always good to have played under full intensity. That’s what the best players are doing: picking the right events, testing themselves, having the majors as their priority. I bet he watched the Players Championship last month, when Scottie Scheffler came through, and thought: ‘I wish I was one of them.’”
Nick Faldo on Jon Rahm
Rahm will tee off with Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap Thursday at 1:30 PM ET. They’ll be followed by the aforementioned Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at 1:42 PM ET.
This debate aside, all eyes will be on those two pairings come Thursday at Augusta.