Jon Rahm’s Masters victory pushes the discussion about LIV Golf into the background for a while

When Jon Rahm makes his last putt on The Masters and throws his hands up in the knowledge that he has won the green jacket for the first time, virtually no one on the famous Augusta course remembers the controversy that has sparked the golfing world in his has grip. The battle between the traditional tours and the golfers who opted for the controversial LIV Golf last year because of the Saudi funding, is pushed into the background by the victory of the 28-year-old Spaniard. It has everything to do with the date: April 9. It is the birthday of Severiano Ballesteros, Rahm’s illustrious compatriot who became the first European to win The Masters in 1980. Ballesteros died in May 2011 from a brain tumor.

“I kept hearing the last nine holes, ‘Seve! Seve! Seve! Do it for Seve!’”, says Rahm afterwards. “To win this tournament on the 40th anniversary of his [tweede] victory [op The Masters] and on his birthday, means very to me.” Rahm has had a long day, with no less than thirty holes. In the morning he had to complete his third round, which was halted on Saturday due to bad weather. In those remaining twelve holes he was able to reduce his deficit to American Brooks Koepka from four strokes to two. At the beginning of the evening, after the fourth round, he has a four stroke lead over Koepka and his compatriot Phil Mickelson. With a total score of 12 under par, Rahm takes his second major title after the US Open in 2021. “All I can say is this one was for Seve. He was up there to help me, and he did.”

Favorite

Rahm had started The Masters on Thursday as the favorite – he has already won three tournaments on the PGA Tour this year. Other contenders: Scottie Scheffler, the American defending champion, and Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irishman who only never won The Masters of the four major tournaments. It was unclear what could be expected of the LIV players. The new tournament circuit, now in its second season, is largely out of sight of the general TV public. – The questions on the minds of many golf enthusiasts: can the LIV players cope with playing 72 holes over four days, and they get it cut? LIV stands for 54 in Roman numerals, the number of holes played on the three-day tournaments of the worldwide tour, without segregation.

With Koepka, Mickelson and Patrick Reed (tied for fourth) at the top of the Masters standings, the LIV players indicate that they have not forgotten how to play golf – twelve of the eighteen participants also made the cut. “We are still the same players and the same people,” said Koepka, who made the switch to LIV Golf last June for reportedly $100 million (92 million euros). “The media has spread the story that we would no longer be able to compete, that we would fall short for the highest level.” Yet Koepka, four-time major winner, failed to win a major tournament for the first time in which he took the lead after 54 holes. The 32-year-old American, who struggled with his form and fitness, turned in a card with 75 strikes (+3) on Sunday. “It will be quite a bit of swallowing in the coming days, but in a few weeks I will probably see the positive sides. I will take that to the PGA Championship, the US Open and the British Open,” said Koepka afterwards, referring to the other majors.

Phil Mickelson caused the biggest surprise at The Masters this year. The 52-year-old American has three green jackets hanging in his closet, but after his lucrative deal with LIV (for a signing bonus of about $ 200 million) he performed nothing. But his final round of 65 (-7) at Augusta earned Mickelson not only a record as the oldest player in the top-5, but also appreciation from the media and public. The American, playing in clothing from his LIV team HyFlyers GC, subtly referred to the much-discussed controversy afterwards. “This tournament is not about the tour you play on. Players come from all over the world. The best golfers still play against each other in the majors. That is what counts.”

Off the course, LIV and the rest of the golfing world, led by the American-focused PGA Tour and the ‘European’ DP World Tour, will continue to battle each other after the 87th edition of The Masters. There are still no points to be earned for the world ranking at the fourteen tournaments of LIV. A decision on this lies in the hands of a special committee, with representatives from the organizers of the four majors. It is unknown when this will become clear.

Last week, another decision came out, from Sport Resolutions UK, an independent tribunal in London. It ruled that the suspensions and fines imposed by the DP World Tour on its members who played in the first LIV tournament in June last year were justified. Due to this ruling, European LIV players will probably cancel their membership and will be missing from the squad for the Ryder Cup in Rome at the end of September. LIV players have long been banned from tournaments on the PGA Tour, and that also has consequences for the US Ryder Cup team. A lawsuit over this suspension — LIV accuses the PGA Tour of abusing its monopoly position — is unlikely to begin until May 2024, a federal judge said Friday.

Top golfers will continue to meet at the majors this year, the next meeting is at the end of May at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in upstate New York. With Jon Rahm, number one in the world rankings again after his Masters title, again as the favorite.