UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Rahm 'thankful' to be in Genesis Scottish Open but says it's 'just another event'
ON THE TEE
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Jon Rahm is among the seven LIV golfers playing in this week's PGA Tour event. The Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, of which the LIV players are members once again.
So for the first time in a long time, outside of the majors, many of the top names are on the same tee sheet.
Despite all the talk of the Scottie Schefflers and Rory McIlroys playing alongside the Rahms and the Tyrrell Hattons in a PGA Tour event, Rahm says it doesn't really feel any different.
"No," he said. Not at all?, was the follow-up question.
"Not really. It's just another event. Just happy I can, happy that the DP World Tour let me have the opportunity and that I can be here and play what's not only a great week but a great golf course, great crowd. It's one of my favorite weeks, so it's really fun to be here again."
As it is for many others, the Scottish Open is a good lead-in to next week's Open Championship, the final major of the season.
"Although I love Valderrama, it's a fantastic week," Rahm said of the Spanish golf course that hosts a LIV Golf event, "this one gets you much more prepared for the Open and that's why so many players have come and played the Scottish Open before it was a co-sanctioned event. It great to play a links golf event before a links golf event, and playing in the weather and the fescue grass and different than what we are playing year around."
But back to the topic of the day: LIV golfers comingling with PGA Tour stars once again.
"I think it's a great test for next week, yes," Rahm said.
"You're only playing the type of golf you need to be playing. You're also playing at a world-class field. As far as strength of field goes, it does feel like you have two majors in a row without being a major, right, it's that good. It speaks to how good this event is for all these players to come in here."
As for LIV Golf and its future, that's an unknown quantity. The Saudi Arabian government's Public Investment Fund will no longer financially back the circuit after this year, and LIV CEO Scott O'Neil is working overtime to find a lifeline.
"I know Scott is doing a lot of work trying to find developers," Rahm said, when asked about the idea of him and others putting up their own money to help keep LIV afloat.
"And there's many ways around that, as far as putting my money into it, they have not asked me to do that yet. So I don't know if they will or not. It's not something that they have asked me but there has been many different avenues to try to make it different, what we've had till now. They haven't asked me to putt my money in yet."
"It's just another event. Just happy I can, happy that the DP World Tour let me have the opportunity and that I can be here and play what's not only a great week but a great golf course, great crowd."
Jon Rahm
