© Getty Images Sport – Andrew Redington / Staff
What goes from January 2023 to November of the same year, as far as Jon Rahm is concerned, is the same as a real roller coaster not to mention a real earthquake in world golf. Between January and April four victories came, the last of them, the most fought, worked, valued, valued, exciting, felt…in short, the ‘biggest’: the Augusta Masters, his second ‘major’, and first green jacket for the Basque, 40 years after the second of his admired and beloved Seve Ballesteros, to whom he dedicated the victory while looking at the Georgia sky on the already closed afternoon at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm, news
Previously he won the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the Amex in the California desert and the Genesis of the Tiger Woods Foundation in Los Angeles. Pure spectacle and a prelude to what the season could be.
But, after a discreet time at the PGA (victory of Brooks Koepka, who had been 2nd in the Masters) and the US Open (Wyndham Clark defeated Rory McIlroy), Jon did not return to prominence on the greens until mid-July. with a round of 63 strokes on the third day at the British Open in Hoylake and a tied 2nd place finish, somewhat far from the left-handed winning ‘hunter’ Brian Harman.
Rahm was unable to successfully defend his leadership in the FedEx Cup and be the first Spaniard to win it, eventually giving in to a furious Viktor Hovland in what months later would be his last participation in it when he was suspended from membership in the PGA Tour.
The one from Barrika was a mainstay of the European team in the vibrant Ryder Cup in Rome, standing out as leader of the team led by Luke Donald along with his friend Rory McIlroy. Rahm fought the last big duel with world number 1 Scottie Scheffler in the first singles match of Sunday, which ended in a draw.
From then on, the back and forth, rumors, and negotiations began in the most absolute secrecy with LIV Golf after spending a year and a half ensuring that he only played for history, tradition, the Grand Slams, and for what they had sown.
and made myths such as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods among others grow in his days. With a contract on the table of more than 500 million dollars, Rahm finally fell into the clutches of the multi-million-dollar Arab Super League in early December.
The photo shaking hands and signing the contract with Greg Norman, CEO of LIV, came as a shock to many. Jon had chosen his safety (and that of his family, of course) for life with the mortar that the Arabs gave him instead of continuing to fight to be the best golfer of all time.
A few days later he was suspended from membership in the PGA Tour, which he had defended so much, and as a great asset the Biscayan became the main pressure measure for LIV Golf and the traditional Circuits (PGA Tour, European Tour…) to sign peace and calm returned to the turbulent waters of world golf.
On the women’s level, there was also the Solheim Cup with Spanish prominence: headquarters in Andalusia and outstanding performance by our Carlota Ciganda, who achieved the decisive point that allowed the European team captained by Suzann Pettersen to retain the trophy.
The Navarrese finished the Solheim undefeated and flying on the 18th green. All this while the name of the PGA Catalunya, in Caldes de Malavella (Girona), as the venue for the Ryder Cup 2031, has been gaining more and more strength in 2023.
