"A lot of people feel a bit of betrayal" - Jon Rahm voices frustration regarding PGA Tour - LIV Golf merger
Spaniard and world No. 2 Jon Rahm sounded frustrated as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday from the Los Angeles Country Club, the site of the 2023 U.S. Open. He chided the circuit's administration because the players "don't know what's going on," which, in his opinion, shows that they take them into account "to a certain extent."
Rahm made these statements in response to questions from the press about the recent agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. He expressed that several tour members feel "a bit of betrayal from management."
I would say that Jon Rahm is frustrated …
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Here is a portion of Jon Rahm's remarks, according to Yard Barker:
"They've certainly heard us throughout the whole process and some of the issues. But we're certainly in a spot in time where there's a big question mark: We don't have any of the answers we'd like, so it's hard to say.
"I think it gets to a point where you want to have faith in management, and I want to have faith that this is the best thing for all of us, but it's clear that that's not the consensus. I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management."
Rahm said he understands the reasons for the agreement to be negotiated in the strictest secrecy, but that, even so, the state of uncertainty in which he and the rest of the players find themselves is difficult to handle:
Jon Rahm: “A lot of guys feel betrayed by management.” https://t.co/5i4tsosGWS
"I understand why they had to keep it so secret ... I get the secrecy. It's just not easy as a player that's been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and see this bombshell.
"It's a state of uncertainty that we don't love, but at the end of the day, I'm not a business expert. Some of those guys on the board and involved in this are. So I'd like to think they're going to make a better decision than I would, but I don't know."
How is Jon Rahm handling the merger issue?
As he explained during his press conference, Jon Rahm has gone through several stages in dealing with the news of the PGA Tour/PIF deal and the whole process that followed.
Rahm expressed that his first reaction, hours after hearing the news, was to not want to hear any more about it. This was due to the enormous amount of information that reached him in a very short time.
Jon Rahm is grateful to PGA Tour, and he is ready to adapt to the changes. 🗣️⛳
#JonRahm #PGATour #LIVGolf https://t.co/9YkfLuorTW
"I thought my phone was going to catch on fire at one point. I told [his wife] Kelley I'm just going to throw my phone in the drawer and not look at it for the next four hours because I can't deal with this anymore," Rahm said.
As the days went by, Rahm got to the point of trying to trust the administration, despite his doubts and dissatisfactions.
Finally, as he prepares for the U.S. Open, Jon Rahm, in his own words, is trying to think about the matter as little as possible in order to have the best result.