Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf in December 2023 was one of the more disappointing losses for the PGA Tour, as the Spaniard had a strong case as the top player in the world at that time.
Rahm, a two-time major winner who had reached world number one, had also played a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory earlier that year.
A potential rivalry between Rahm and Scottie Scheffler emerged from that week in Rome. They faced each other again in the Sunday singles at Marco Simone, a rematch of their encounter from Whistling Straits two years prior.
So it comes as no shock that Tiger Woods, like many others, admired Rahm, given that he is unquestionably one of the premier players of his generation.
What Tiger Woods said he admired about Jon Rahm’s approach
Rahm was already a proven winner on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour before the 2018 Ryder Cup, but his Sunday win over Woods at Le Golf National stood out, especially since he hadn’t had the strongest week up to that point.
By the time he became world number one in 2020, Rahm was already mentioned alongside players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.
In a 2019 interview with Golf Digest, Rahm spoke about what aspects of his game might stand out to others in the field.
“Maybe my accuracy off the tee. I think I know what Brooks would say, though: absolutely nothing. He has it all.
“Tiger would probably say he loves the fact that I don’t think too much about a shot. He’s told me that before, actually. Dustin and I are similar in that sense. Dustin has also told me before that he forgets about a shot once he hits it. I remember everything, but I don’t think about the shot once it’s gone. Most of the time.”
Jon Rahm recalls his 2018 Ryder Cup victory over Tiger Woods
The 2018 Ryder Cup did not go well for Woods, who lost all four matches. But the numbers do not quite capture what happened.
Across the first two days, the 15-time major winner played three times, running into the red-hot pairing of Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood every time.
It is easy to overlook his Tour Championship win just a week before. His walk up the 18th at East Lake remains one of the most memorable moments of his career.
Woods clearly felt the effects of that win, looking a bit drained in Paris. Still, he was not as off-form as Phil Mickelson that week. And just months later, the Cypress native captured his fifth green jacket at Augusta.
Rahm, in the same interview, elaborated on the significance of that match.
“This is a long story, but I have to tell it. I watched him from the balcony of the clubhouse at East Lake when he got his 80th PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship that year. As a guy who grew up watching golf and watching him, it was emotional for me to be there and to witness that and just be part of it. Forever I’ll be able to say that I watched Tiger make a putt to win and restart his career again,” he said.
“So then I go to my first Ryder Cup – I was jacked up. Then I’m the first match off on Friday morning, playing [four-ball] with Justin Rose. We’re playing against Brooks and Tony Finau. I played good the first nine holes, but then I completely tanked, and we lost, 1 down. The next morning, I played [four-ball] with Ian Poulter, and I played bad the first 12 holes then finished strong, but it was too late. We lost to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, 2 and 1. I was supposed to play in all five matches, and I ended up playing in three. I probably shouldn’t have even played that second match. I was playing bad, not feeling my best, but the team is winning, so I’m happy. Then the singles pairings come out, and I’m playing Tiger.
“To that point, he hadn’t scored any points but wasn’t playing terribly. He ran into Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood, and I think anybody in the world would have lost to them that week. But I know he wants to win a point badly.
“In theory, it was a golf course that fits Tiger, with the emphasis on position and strategy. [Captain Thomas] Bjorn told me that I had to beat him at his own game. He said he’s not going to make mistakes; he’s going to capitalize on my mistakes. So I couldn’t give him a chance to do that. Well, all I’d done so far is make nothing but mistakes. So after talking to Fleetwood and talking to my mental coach for a half hour on the phone, I came out confident and tried to play like Tiger wasn’t even there. I didn’t even look at him almost the entire day. Somehow, that’s what I was able to do, and I played beautiful golf. Then my emotions finally came out when I missed a short putt on 16 and my lead was down to 1 up. I told myself I was winning the match. I hit the best drive I ever hit on 17, a great second shot to five feet and made the putt. Then everything I had inside of me that day came out.”
While some may argue his move to LIV Golf has not helped him much – although we can only speculate how things might have unfolded if he had stayed with the PGA Tour – there is little doubt over his ability to rise again.
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