Jon Rahm speaks to the media at the US Open, the day before he withdrew.
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In 2021, Jon Rahm won the US Open. But on Sunday, like you, he was watching on TV.
Rahm said he developed an infection between his fourth and pinky toes during the LIV Golf event in Houston the weekend before the US Open. He withdrew from the tournament but appeared at Pinehurst No. 2 hoping to play. He spoke to the media on Monday, but on Tuesday, he withdrew.
“After consulting with many doctors and my team, I have decided that it is best for my long-term health, to withdraw this week from the US Open Championship,” Rahm wrote in X. “To say I’m disappointed is a huge understatement!”
So come back on Sunday. While Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy battled it out, Rahm was watching on TV. So, what did he think about being a fan?
At first, he said he used to watch the broadcast in silence. But he also expressed a common frustration that many golf fans share — sometimes it’s overwhelming to find out where to watch the action, tournament rounds move from network to network and streaming options — sometimes only option – in.
“Going from ABC to NBC to Peacock, then back to the next one, yeah, they’ve got to make it easier,” he said, speaking at this week’s LIV Golf event in Nashville, where Rahm plans to play. “It is the Open after all. Just turn on one channel and hopefully you will be able to watch the entire broadcast.”
Rahm’s biggest criticism, however, came on Rory McIlroy’s decision miss on the 72nd hole. Tied with DeChambeau at the time, McIlroy had a par putt of 3 feet, 9 inches on the 18th hole Sunday. It was over the hole – never where you want to be on the fast greens of Pinehurst No. 2 – and McIlroy missed. He didn’t play enough break and hit it slowly, as the ball caught on the right edge and went out. He made bogey. In the back ties, DeChambeau averaged and won.
“I thought from the times I was driving it and hearing it, I thought [the broadcast] it was good,” said Rahm. “One of the things that got me fired up, and I think it was Smylie [Kaufman] who said that, seriously underestimated how difficult Rory’s placement at 18 was. If it’s a left-center putt, if you hit a left-center putt and miss the hole, you’re on the green because of the slope. You could have seen Rory aim for the cup at least three meters away. They greatly underestimated how difficult the putt was. A lot.
“I think that can happen a few times where unless you’ve been on a golf course and played or have played it, it’s hard to truly describe how difficult a golf course can be,” he continued. “Most of the time they have that five seconds to say something quickly, so I don’t blame them either.” But other than that, I thought it was great.”
Rahm was referring to it when Kaufman, a reporter on the course, said seconds before McIlroy hit the putt: “I got behind, I learned. Not out of the hole. It’s a middle putt to the left, but you can make it if you start it in the middle.”
Although commentator Brandel Chamblee never made it sound so easy.
“Four feet, down the hill, breaking right,” he said, after McIlroy’s birdie putt. “It’s not exactly the 4 foot you want. It reached above the pit.”
As for Rahm’s prospects this week, he says he can’t do much yet, but he feels ready.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel good. The main reason for canceling these two events was the infection I had and just taking steps to not make it worse and see what steps I can take to prevent it from happening in the future. The wound is still there. I won’t show the graphic images, but they are still there. It’s manageable now. I won’t make it worse. There is a lot that needs to be followed up on what happened to make sure that it recovers properly and it doesn’t happen again.”
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