Rahm and the controversy over golf's alliance with the Saudis: "Many feel betrayed"

The rectors of the third major of the season are struggling these days when the news focus is the tournament or the spectacular Country Club of Los Angeles or the immense roster of players (we only have to regret a loss of the 50 best in the world ranking, the injured Will Zalatoris). But the tsumani of recent days in golf has engulfed any other information reality.

In the pre-championship, the sporting aspect has hardly been discussed. All attention has been focused on the consequences of the peace signed with the Arab League. The last informative flash occurred on the same Tuesday night, with the announcement of the PGA Tour in which it was specified that Jay Monahan, commissioner of the American Circuit and the man most questioned in the new alliance with the Saudis, has withdrawn from the center of attention. “Monahan has suffered a medical problem and has decided to step aside from his duties for an indeterminate time,” it was reported in a statement that has only increased all kinds of rumors.

The announcement of the agreement between the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, after two years of bloody war, including lawsuits, surprised Rahm having breakfast at home. “So many messages started coming in that I thought the phone was going to catch fire. I told Kelley that I was going to put the phone in a drawer and I was not going to look at it for the next four hours because I couldn't take it anymore,” said the Spaniard, who did not want to go into the matter too much because, he stresses, that he still “a lot of information is missing.”

However, the Basque, at the US Open press conference, did want to reflect on this new scenario: “There are many unanswered questions. I try not to think about it as much as possible. I think there comes a point where you want to have faith in the management that is being done, and I want to have confidence that this is the best for all of us, but it is clear that there is no consensus. I think, in general, a lot of people feel betrayed by the PGA Tour.. I understand why they had to keep it so secret and why this couldn't go through the Players Commission, among other things because it was being published in the media immediately. It is not easy, being a player who has been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and find out about this bomb.

In recent months, many of the PGA Tour loyalists turned down multi-million dollar offers from the Saudi tour at the encouragement of the PGA Tour and Jay Monahan.. Some, like Rory McIIroy, are now asking for answers and demanding financial compensation.

The reflection of the Spanish champion went much further and wanted to relativize the current conflict: «If the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf agree or not, it really does not matter. I am happy with my life, and every morning when I look at my children, I feel even luckier in that sense.. I can see where I come from in Spain, especially every time I see my parents I remember where I come from and where I am. To be honest, all those things seem like a very, very small problem to me compared to other things in the world.

But Rahm opened this parenthesis because all he wants now is to focus on the US Open, oblivious to the rumors circulating on social networks about his upcoming transfer to LIV Golf.

Spanish representation

The world number two and current champion of the Augusta Masters leads the large Spanish representation in this major, in which he already won the 2021 edition. Also participating are Pablo Larrazábal (classified by the world ranking after his two victories this year on the DP World Tour), Alex del Rey, David Puig and Sergio García, all classified in the previous phases.. Both Puig and García will be two of the 15 LIV Golf players who will attend this US Open.

Toughness will be the hallmark of a tournament that is being held for the first time at the Los Angeles Country Club, just 23 kilometers from the center of the movie city. It consists of a par 70 course, with an atypical composition: five par 3s and three par 5s.. One of the par threes will only measure 70 meters, while hole four will be a monster par 3 of 270 meters.

Rahm begins his participation this Thursday, at 5:24 p.m. Spanish. Sergio García will leave at 4:51 p.m. and Pablo Larrazábal at 4:07 p.m. While Alex del Rey will start at 9:48 p.m. and David Puig, at 11:16 p.m.