Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. And it wasn’t just because he barely made the cut and struggled his way to a T-45 finish.
Yes, Rahm failed to post a singe round under par, and at times looked miserable doing it, but there was another reason the Masters was unsettling for the defending champion. In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the 29-year-old said he wasn’t exactly feeling the love from some of his former PGA Tour acquaintances whom he had not seen since making the move to LIV.
Yes, I have noticed hostile attitudes,” Rahm said. “But I expected it, my friends have continued to be my friends, but some with whom I had a very cordial relationship have not even looked at my face.”
Rahm gave no indication of who he was referring to. Though one man we can definitely rule out is Scottie Scheffler, who Rahm was chuckling with during the green jacket ceremony following Scheffler’s victory. No ill will there, it would appear.
Rahm says he was much more surprised by who it was that iced him as opposed to the icing in general.
“If someone changes their opinion [of me] it’s your issue, not mine,” he said. “I knew what was going to happen but I didn’t know who.”
Hugo Costa, the author of the article in El Mundo, suggested that Rahm had a positive relationship with Max Homa and Patrick Cantlay before going to LIV, but there may have been instances of disrespect towards him from those two individuals at the Masters. Rahm did not specifically mention anyone.
Rahm will be taking a two-week break before returning to play at the LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club in Australia. It will be another month before we see him compete against the top players on the PGA Tour again, at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. Scheduled for May 16-19.