Jon Rahm gets ‘emotional’ about missing the WM Phoenix Open, expresses his wish to play on PGA Tour again - “I would certainly love to go back”
Jon Rahm has expressed his disappointment at not being part of the WM Phoenix Open but hopes to return to the event someday in the future.
Last year, Rahm entered the TPC Scottsdale field after already winning two titles in a season and then went on to finish solo third — his fifth back-to-back top-ten finish of the 2022–23 season. However, after the PGA Tour season ended, he decided to make a switch to LIV Golf for reportedly $550 million, thus barring him from playing in the Tour events.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference of the LIV Golf Las Vegas on Tuesday, February 6, the two-time major champion spoke about not being able to defend his wins and also missing the WM Phoenix Open this time. He said:
"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. 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."
"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."
However, Rahm added that his focus at the moment was on LIV Golf Las Vegas, and it didn't matter what else was going on. The 29-year-old Spaniard has made eight starts at the TPC Scottsdale and has registered five top-ten finishes. Last year's solo third was his best result at the event.
The 2024 WM Phoenix Open will commence on Thursday, February 8 at the TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Unlike last year, it will not be a Signature event this time, so it will have a reduced purse size of $8.8 million. The winner of the 132-playing field event will bag $1.58 million. Last year, Scottie Scheffler defended his title, beating Nick Taylor by two strokes.
What's next for Jon Rahm?
Jon Rahm is in Las Vegas this week for the LIV Golf Las Vegas, which will commence on Thursday, February 8 at the Las Vegas Country Club. The event will have a purse size of $25 million, and the individual winner will bag $4 million while the team winner will receive $1.5 million.
Last week, Rahm finished T3 at the individual portion of the LIV Golf Mayakoba, while his team, Legion XIII was able to win the team portion in the team's first-ever start on the Saudi-backed circuit. Besides Rahm, the Legion XIII comprises Tyrrell Hatton, Kieran Vincent, and Caleb Surratt.