“We don't have COVID rules” – Jon Rahm compares playing the BMW Championship during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and now

Jon Rahm is gearing up for the 2023 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields North Course. Before the tournament, he compared playing during the COVID-19 pandemic and now.

Interestingly, he won the 2020 edition of the event when the pandemic procedures were in place. During the 2023 tournament press conference, Rahm shared the differences playing now. As quoted by cbsnews, he said:

"It's obviously a very different week. We don't have COVID rules. Everybody is here present, and we don't have those Zoom media calls."

While playing in the final hole, Jon Rahm watched Dustin Johnson put a perfect 43-feet shot to force a playoff. In the first playoff hole, he took the shot from 66 feet and sunk it inside the hole. What is most fascinating about one of the greatest birdie putts was that only two dozen of people saw it.

Before the 2023 BMW Championship, when Rahm was asked to rate his incredible birdie shot in the 2020 edition of the tournament, he replied by saying:

"I think if there were crowds and I made that putt, it probably would be a unanimous No. 1, but because there was nobody there, and there was really no reaction besides mine... it's a bit lackluster because of what you're used to seeing when you make a good putt at a moment like the U.S. Open. It wouldn't be No. 1, but it's definitely top three."

Jon Rahm rated the shot in his all-time top three, citing that no one actually saw that shot. He said that it would have been his 'unanimous No. 1' shot if there were crowds present witnessing the unbelievable birdie putt.

When will Jon Rahm tee off at the 2023 BMW Championship on Thursday?

The current No. 1 on the FedEx Cup rankings, Jon Rahm, is paired alongside the World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, for the second post-season playoff event. The duo will tee off at 1:38 PM ET on Thursday, August 17, at the Olympia Fields North Course.

Following is the tee times and pairing for the 2023 BMW Championship (All times Eastern):

9:26 AM - Brendon Todd, JT Poston
9:37 AM - Adam Svensson, Matthew Fitzpatrick
9:48 AM - Adam Hadwin, Byeong-Hun An
9:59 AM - Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose
10:10 AM - Jordan Spieth, Sung-Jae Im
10:21 AM - Sepp Straka, Emiliano Grillo
10:32 AM - Xander Schauffele, Adam Schenk
10:43 AM - Russell Henley, Nick Taylor
10:54 AM - Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa
11:10 AM - Rory McIlroy, Lucas Glover
11:21 AM - Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood
11:32 AM - Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Hoge
11:43 AM - Cameron Davis, Cameron Young
11:54 AM - Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam
12:05 PM - Lee Hodges, Seamus Power
12:16 PM - Kurt Kitayama, Denny McCarthy
12:27 PM - Sam Burns, Chris Kirk
12:43 PM - Tyrrell Hatton, Corey Conners
12:54 PM - Collin Morikawa, Jason Day
1:05 PM - Si Woo Kim, Joohyung Kim
1:16 PM - Tony Finau, Taylor Moore
1:27 PM - Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland
1:38 PM - Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler
1:49 PM - Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley
2:00 PM - Patrick Rodgers, Harris English

The 2023 BMW Championship will feature the top 50 players in the field from the FedEx Cup rankings. The tournament will have a whopping $20 million prize pool, with the winner receiving a $3.6 million paycheck and 2,000 FedEx points.