Tag: Jon Rahm

Is Jon Rahm having an existential crisis? He’s certainly going off his LIV Golf script a bunch

Rahm keeps wandering off the script, especially in the last month.

Is Jon Rahm having an existential crisis?

Maybe not, but the two-time major champion and two-time winner of The American Express in La Quinta is certainly not on what is believed to be the script for most LIV golfers. That script is supposed to go something like, well, I like what LIV does, it is better than the PGA Tour, it’s not all about the money and we are trying to grow the game.

Rahm keeps wandering off the script, especially in the last month.

At the Masters, for instance, Rahm talked about how LIV needs to strongly consider going to a 72-hole format rather than the 54-hole format that is one of its distinguishing characteristics. One of the criticisms of LIV is that format, though there are others who have no problem with it. Rahm, however, would like to see it changed.

Then came the Masters itself, where Rahm didn’t play well. And he looked miserable in Butler Cabin waiting to put the green jacket on new champion Scottie Scheffler.

Now comes Rahm doubling down on comments he made earlier this year about wishing he could still play in some of his favorite PGA Tour events. Obviously, he still gets to play in the four majors, which are not controlled by the PGA Tour. But when he left the PGA Tour in December to join LIV, it meant being suspended from other PGA Tour events.

It might not make anyone at The American Express feel better, but their tournament is one that Rahm misses. While saying he’s playing all 14 LIV events this year, the four majors and the Ryder Cup, Rahm laments the open weeks of the calendar where he could be back in his favorite places, including the Coachella Valley.

2024 Masters
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler sits next to 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm during the green jacket ceremony after Scheffler won the 2024 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Network)

Loving California

“There’s some PGA Tour events that if it’s not conflicting with my LIV schedule I’d love to go play. I’ve said numerous times and I’ll say it again, Palm Springs (The American Express), Torrey Pines (in San Diego), Phoenix, L.A., if I’m allowed to be able to play, the Players. Those are events that if I could, I would love to play.”

Three of those tournaments — The American Express, The Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego and the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles — are tournaments Rahm has won. He has always expressed a love for West Coast events, in particular Torrey Pines and the city of San Diego.

So is this buyer’s remorse from Rahm, who signed with LIV for something reported to be just short of $600 million? Or is it just a guy who can’t help being honest, a trait that made him popular with his fellow players and media members when he played on the PGA Tour?

Either way, Rahm is making a case — whether he knows it or not — for the PGA Tour and LIV to reach a deal and get to it sooner rather than later. The PGA Tour began doling out equity money to its players this week, money aided by the Tour’s $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group. But another deal with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Trust is out there, with talks ongoing. That deal could bring more money to the PGA Tour, but it could also work to unify a game that has been divided by defections from the PGA Tour to LIV.

Rahm’s jump to LIV in November and his inability to defend three PGA Tour titles in the first seven weeks of this season, including The American Express, seemed to be a tipping point for many fans. Since then, PGA Tour ratings have been down around 20 percent (the American Express ratings were actually up in January) and many fans have said they have lost some interest in the professional game.

Rahm certainly isn’t speaking for all LIV players when he talks about 72-hole tournaments and wanting to expand his schedule by playing a handful of PGA Tour events that he really enjoys. But for now, Rahm is the biggest signing LIV has over the last two years short perhaps of Phil Mickelson in 2022. So when he talks with a certain discontent in his comments, the powers on both sides of the professional golf divide probably need to be listening.

Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for The Desert Sun. You can contact him at (760) 778-4633 or at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @larry_bohannan. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Desert Sun.

Jon Rahm’s 2024 Masters Champions Dinner brings LIV Golf, PGA Tour players together: ‘We’re a fraternity’

“It was a great night; an emotional night. Ben (Crenshaw) made sure that tonight was all about Jon, Seve and Jackie Burke.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Champions Dinner tipped its hat to Spain on Tuesday evening.

On what would’ve been the 67th birthday of Seve Ballesteros, the table of 33 champions welcomed its newest member — Jon Rahm — before flooding the room with memories of Augusta’s first European victor.

“It was a great night; an emotional night,” said Larry Mize, the 1987 winner. “Ben (Crenshaw) made sure that tonight was all about Jon, Seve and Jackie Burke.”

Rahm sat at the head of the table, side-by-side with Ben Crenshaw, marking the first time a LIV golfer played host to the dinner.

And even though the narrative of PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf remains heated to some, for one night, the sides united.

“We’re a fraternity,” said Crenshaw, who emcees the annual supper.

Added Charles Coody: “It couldn’t have been more congenial. Even Tom Watson at the very end of dinner, he stood from his chair and said how happy he was to see the camaraderie within our group. It was a wonderful night.”

Crenshaw, in his Texas drawl, opened the evening by welcoming Rahm to the Masters Club; he then gifted the Spaniard an inscribed gold locket in the form of the Club emblem.

Two years ago, at the 2022 Champions Dinner, Hideki Matsuyama stunned the table by reciting a speech in English, prompting Gary Player to toast in Japanese.

When asked earlier in the week about congratulating Jon Rahm in Spanish, Ben Crenshaw reflected on his Austin High School diploma.

“I took French,” said Crenshaw, laughing.

2023 Masters
A Masters pin flag blows at the practice facility during the second round of the 2023 Masters. (Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Network)

From there, stories immersed the room about Seve.

Bernhard Langer orated a tale about the 1983 Ryder Cup at Palm Beach Gardens when Ballesteros struck a 3-wood out of a bunker from 230 yards onto the green.

Langer told the table that from the lie Seve had, no golfer — aside from Ballesteros — would’ve cleared the lip with anything less than a six iron.

Crenshaw also mentioned the passing of 1956 Masters Champion Jackie Burke.

Burke, who shared a Champions locker with Tiger Woods, died on Jan. 19, 10 days before his 101st birthday.

“God put me down here for a long spell,” Burke said on his 100th birthday.

Thirty-three past champions attended the dinner. The only two absent were Angel Cabrera and Sandy Lyle.

According to Mize, Lyle’s wife, Jolanda, was having inner ear problems, and the 1988 Masters winner elected to remain home.

“Jolanda tried to get Sandy to come,” Mize said. “But he didn’t want to come without her.”

As defending champ, Rahm selected the menu for Tuesday evening, with his spread giving homage to Spain’s Basque region.

The meal began with six options for tapas and pintxos, Spanish for starters, before offering two main courses: Chuleton a la Parrilla, a ribeye with Piquillo peppers, or Rodaballo al Pil-Pil, a fish dish with white asparagus.

José María Olazábal chose the fish. Craig Stadler ordered red meat.

Coody picked fish.

“I didn’t want to venture too far into no-man’s land,” Coody said.

According to multiple past winners, similar to last year, Phil Mickelson remained quiet, and despite being close to Rahm, he elected not to give a toast.

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Masters releases 2024 Champions Dinner portrait at Augusta National

The dinner was hosted by 2023 Masters champ Jon Rahm.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tuesday night was Masters Champions Dinner night at Augusta National Golf Club. For this year’s take on the annual gathering in the Augusta National clubhouse, host and 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm brought in a good friend to assist.

“With the help of José Andrés, the chef who I feel like needs no introduction for a lot of people, we made what would be a northern Spanish Basque country Bilbao menu and basically put in all of my favorites and even included a dish from my grandma,” Rahm said of his menu. “He called my grandma for the recipe. If somebody doesn’t like it, please just don’t tell me.  Don’t tell anyone actually. It means a little bit too much to me to hear it.”

There’s been some interesting menu choices, to say the least, over the last 30 years.

Rahm’s menu consisted of tapas and pinxtos to a first-course salad, main course fish and steak and a creamy desert.

The annual dinner portrait was released Tuesday night, with Rahm front and center with Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley to his left and two-time Masters champ Ben Crenshaw to his right.

There were 33 Masters champions in all in the photo.

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Brooks Koepka is back in his element at Augusta National, and that’s bad news for the 2024 Masters field

Koepka won’t share what he learned from last year’s Masters loss, but he certainly won’t let it happen again.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As a kid growing up in South Florida, Brooks Koepka always dreamed of winning major championships when he was practicing at his dad’s course.

That desire to be the best has fueled Koepka for 33 years and guided him to an incredible tally of five major championships in a six-year span (two of which were riddled with injuries). While he’s never won at Augusta National Golf Club, Koepka has finished runner-up twice and in the top 10 three times in eight previous Masters appearances.

His most recent close call for a green jacket occurred at last year’s Masters, when Koepka held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds before he was caught by Jon Rahm on the final 18. Koepka ended up tied for second with Phil Mickelson.

After his PGA Championship win last summer, Koepka said he learned a lesson as to why he lost his lead Sunday at Augusta. While he still won’t share exactly what he learned, he’s vowed he won’t let it happen again.

“I think if I get the chance this year, I won’t be thinking that way,” Koepka said during his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday.

Koepka has nine wins on the PGA Tour and three since he joined LIV Golf, but he doesn’t shy away from the fact that the major championships are what’s most important to him. He’s well aware of his stature and current place in the pro golf history books. Major championships make for a lasting legacy.

“Even today, that’s what I first see, that’s what I think you’re judged by, your legacy, what you’re defined by. I’ve always said it, I think you can tell exactly how (many majors) Jack, Tiger, Arnold, Tom, you can tell, all these guys, how many majors they won,” explained Koepka. “It’s tough to tell how many events they won, but I know that there’s one sure-fire way to figure out who is who is by major championships.”

How aware is he? Like the NFL players who can name which quarterbacks drafted ahead of them, Koepka knows he’s tied with James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Byron Nelson, Peter Thomson and Seve Ballesteros on the all-time major winners list and that there are still 14 other names in front of him.

When it comes to players with 25-49 rounds under their belt at Augusta, Koepka is third in scoring average at 71.56 behind Rahm (70.50) and Jordan Spieth (70.66). He doesn’t know what it is about Augusta that brings out his best game, but he sure does wish he could do it more often.

“I just think there’s just something special about this place. You kind of drive down Magnolia Lane and it gets the juices flowing,” said Koepka. “And I think everybody that drives down it gets pretty excited. And, you know, first major of the year. And that’s what you play the game for, is to win here, win a major, and that’s the goal.”

In classic Koepka fashion, he also sarcastically challenged a reporter for asking if 59 was attainable at Augusta National:

Q: It sounds like the course is already pretty dialed this week, but under softer or optimal scoring conditions do you think 59 is obtainable on this golf course?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Have you played here?

Q: Not yet.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I can tell by the question.

Q: What number is attainable in your mind? 63’s the low.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, now, anything’s attainable. But, yeah, if you want to go play the members tees and maybe play like 15 holes, yeah, I could do that.

If you didn’t think Koepka was already back to his old self after the PGA Championship, that exchange surely signals he is.

Now healthy following a couple of years of injury struggles, Koepka knows he’s ready for the challenge that awaits this week. Following his Monday practice round, he noted the course “was as firm as I’ve seen it in maybe four, five years” and that green speeds were already near a weekend pace.

For a player who constantly rises to the occasion, that’s music to a confident Koepka’s ears and bad news for the other 88 players in the field.

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Updated Masters 2024 first round tee times, how to watch Thursday at Augusta National

Defending champion Jon Rahm now tees off at 1 p.m. ET after an early weather delay.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club has once again opened its gates to some of the best players in the world for the 88th Masters Tournament, and on Tuesday morning the tee times for the first two rounds were announced.

Inclement weather on Thursday morning has delayed the start of the first round by two and a half hours, as the first group will now tee off at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Honorary Starters Ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m. ET.

LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm will begin his title defense at 1 p.m ET alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be joined by world No. 2 Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in the following group at 1:12 p.m. ET. Tiger Woods will highlight the afternoon featured groups when he tees off at 3:54 p.m. ET with Jason Day and Max Homa.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2024 Masters at Augusta National. All times Eastern.

Thursday tee times

Time Players
10:30 a.m. ET Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp
10:42 a.m. ET Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente (a)
10:54 a.m. ET Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger
11:06 a.m. ET Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht (a)
11:18 a.m. ET Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau
11:30 a.m. ET Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)
11:42 a.m. ET Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox
11:54 a.m. ET Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English
12:06 p.m. ET Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau
12:18 p.m. ET Nick Taylor, Joaquín Niemann, Russell Henley
12:36 p.m. ET Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler
12:48 p.m. ET Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas
1 p.m. ET Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap
1:12 p.m. ET Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
1:24 p.m. ET Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
1:36 p.m. ET Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray
1:48 p.m. ET Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
2 p.m. ET Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley (a)
2:12 p.m. ET Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo
2:24 p.m. ET Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad (a)
2:42 p.m. ET Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati
2:54 p.m. ET Akshay Bhatia, J. T. Poston, Shane Lowry
3:06 p.m. ET Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk
3:18 p.m. ET Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama
3:30 p.m. ET Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton
3:42 p.m. ET Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
3:54 p.m. ET Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
4:06 p.m. ET Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim
4:18 p.m. ET Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala
4:30 p.m. ET Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

TV, streaming: Viewing options for Masters week

How to watch

Thursday, April 11

Live From the Masters: 8 a.m., Golf Channel

Honorary Starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson: 10:10 a.m., Masters.com

On the Range: 8:30-10:30 a.m., Masters.com/Masters app, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

Featured holes, featured groups, Amen Corner: 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Masters.com/Masters app, Paramount+

Welcome to the Masters: 1-3 p.m., ESPN

First round: 2-8 p.m., SiriusXM

First round: 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN

Live From the Masters: 7:30 p.m., Golf Channel

First round replay: 8-11 p.m., ESPN

First round highlights: 11:35-11:50 p.m., CBS, Paramount+

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Jon Rahm on ‘nerve-wracking’ 2024 Masters Champions Dinner, his failed attempt to expedite golf’s unification

“But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process,” Rahm said of his LIV move.

AUGUSTA, Ga. —At the start of last year, Jon Rahm wanted to be a fly on the wall for what he predicted would be a “tense” Champions Dinner as a handful of LIV Golf players reunited with their former PGA Tour colleagues at the 88th Masters.

Fast forward to this week and the 29-year-old is hosting the annual Tuesday night gathering at Augusta National Golf Club as the defending champion, and he’s brought a little Spanish flair down Magnolia Lane.

“Everybody I talked to seems very excited about the menu, which, if anything, has put a lot more pressure on me, even though I’m not cooking, right. So, yeah, I’m definitely a little nervous,” said Rahm Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It is quite daunting to think about the room you’re going to be in and having to stand up and talk to that group of players, right. I mean, it’s basically all the living legends in this game, active and non-active. Everybody who’s been somebody in this game is there. So as wonderful as it is to be a part of, it’s still, yeah, a little nerve-wracking for sure.”

MORE: Champions Dinner menus over the years

The big man from the Basque region didn’t just dish on his menu, he also talked about his best memories with the green jacket – not many get to throw out the first pitch at a World Series – as well as the divided professional game and what needs to happen to get more LIV players in major fields. LIV had 18 players in last year’s field, and that number has dropped to just 13 this year.

“I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement,” Rahm said of the ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. “But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”

“I still love the PGA Tour, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again,” he added later.

As far as a way to get more LIV players involved in the majors, Rahm echoed what many of his cohorts have said over the last year: there’s smarter people who can figure out how to unify the game. Players like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who were among the first to break away and leave for LIV, have called for new qualification categories for LIV players since the Saudi-backed league isn’t recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. Rahm agrees.

“But the obvious answer is that there’s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in. That’s the only thing can I say,” he explained. “I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete.”

2024 Masters
Jason Day gets a hug from Jon Rahm at the practice facility during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network)

“They’ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way. And I understand there’s less players and you can’t give, right, 10 people or 15 people a start, but there’s got to be a way for some players to earn their way in,” Rahm continued. “That’s the best way I can say it. I just don’t really know what that looks like.”

Add Rahm to the long list of LIV players who are quick to point out a problem without offering up any solution.

As far as his title defense is concerned, Rahm is riding a weaker wave of momentum into the first men’s major of the year compared to last season. Instead of three PGA Tour wins in eight tournaments, he’s played five LIV events with finishes of T-3, 8, 5, T-8 and T-4. His team, Legion XIII, have won two events, including last week at LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. Many view fewer competitive rounds as a negative, but the two-time major champion actually sees this year’s change in preparation as a positive.

“Well, you’re saying like playing a little bit less is a bad thing. Which I wouldn’t think it is. If anything, for the, if I had would go based on how I feel today on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,” Rahm said. “But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You got to go out there and post a score.

“So it’s not something that I have in mind, but I do feel, I do feel fresh and ready for it.”

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‘Too many people are losing interest’: LIV Golf players agree the current state of professional golf is ‘unsustainable’

Bryson DeChambeau said a reunion needs to “happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport.”

PGA Tour and LIV Golf players finally have something to agree on – the divide and current state of professional golf is unsustainable.

Rory McIlroy has been outspoken on the topic over the last few months, and a week before the two sides reunite for the first major of the year at the 2024 Masters – 13 LIV players will tee it up at Augusta National – a handful of LIV’s captains explained why the game needs to come back together sooner rather than later.

“The fans are what drive this sport. If we don’t have fans, we don’t have golf. We are not up here entertaining. That’s the most important thing as of right now, the low-hanging fruit. There’s got to be a way to come together,” said Bryson DeChambeau ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Miami event at Trump National Doral. “It’s not sustainable for sure, and we all respect that and recognize that and want the best for the game of golf. We all love this game and we want to keep playing it and we want to keep competing.”

“And it needs to happen fast. It’s not a two-year thing,” he added. “Like it needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest.”

Jon Rahm, the biggest name to make the jump to LIV from the PGA Tour ahead of the 2024 season, believes there’s enough room in the professional golf sandbox for both circuits.

“I think there’s room for both. It’s as simple as that. I think we have the opportunity to end up with an even better product for the spectators and the fans of the game, a little bit more variety doesn’t really hurt anybody,” said Rahm, who will look to defend his Masters title next week. “I think properly done, we can end up with a much better product that can take golf to the next level worldwide, and I’m hoping that’s what ends up happening.”

“I agree with that. I think in the end, we are in a transitional state where we now have competition and that’s leading to a lot of disruption and change but it’s also in the end product going to make golf more global where the best players travel more,” added Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion. “I don’t know how it’s going to end out, exactly, or what it’s going to look like. I’m putting my trust in Yasir and where the game is headed more globally. But at some point when it gets ironed out, I think it’s going to be in a much better place where we bring the best players from the world, and it’s going to open up more opportunities for manufacturing, course design, for players in different parts of the world to be inspired and enter the game. I think it’s going to be in a much better place.”

Mickelson said the game is in a “disruption phase” that started back in 2022 when he and the first crop of players took their talents to the Saudi-backed league. Since then, the PGA Tour has made drastic changes to its schedule and has created a for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises, with initial funding of $1.5 billion from the Strategic Sports Group, an outside investment group comprised of various owners of teams in other professional sports leagues.

PGA Tour Enterprises was initially supposed to be backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – LIV’s longtime financier – as part of the framework agreement that was announced and shocked the golf world on June 6, 2023. The new entity is still considering as much as a $3 billion investment from the PIF in the wake of a meeting between PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and the Tour’s leadership in the Bahamas last month.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Senate both have a keen interest in the proposed deal, which doesn’t appear to be anywhere near completion, much to the chagrin of players on both sides of the professional golf aisle.

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Jon Rahm announces wife Kelley is pregnant with baby No. 3

“Officially moving to zone defense, baby Rahm #3 coming soon!”

With just more than a week before Jon Rahm begins his title defense at the Masters, the Spaniard shared some major news on social media: wife Kelley is pregnant with the couple’s third child.

“Officially moving to zone defense, baby Rahm #3 coming soon!” he wrote on X.

The 29-year-old Rahm, who defected to LIV Golf for a guaranteed contract reportedly of more than $400 million, included a photo in which he is holding his oldest child, son Kepa, who was born shortly before the Masters on April 3, 2021. Kepa’s left hand is gripping the three-picture strip of his mom’s ultrasound, while Kelley is holding Eneko, who joined the family on Aug. 5, 2022, just ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Rahms didn’t disclose any other details such as the sex of the baby or the due date.

Rahm is back in action next week at LIV’s Miami event at Trump Doral before he attempts to become the first player to defend his title at the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.

Jon Rahm reminisces on his Masters victory: visiting the Champions locker room and more

“It’s fun to think about it now, that four-putt.”

The night Jon Rahm won the Masters, he didn’t want it to end.

Who can blame him? It was one of the great days of the Spaniard’s life, winning his second major on the birthday of his countryman and childhood hero Seve Ballesteros by four shots over Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. Draped in his Green Jacket, Rahm wasn’t ready to leave Augusta National Golf Club just yet despite it being past midnight, so he made his big ask.

“It’s 1:00 in the morning, and I said, ‘If there’s a time to maybe get away with something, it’s right now,’ so I asked, ‘Can we go to the Champions locker room?’ ”

By ‘we’ Rahm meant with his wife, Kelley, and father, Edorta.

“Because I don’t know if they’re ever going to be able to go up there again,” he explained. “They said yes. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, to see people’s names on the lockers, to actually see the locker room, to see still the showcase they had for Scottie’s win, take a few pictures while I was up there.  It was really fun.”

That included walking out to the balcony and peering down Magnolia Lane in pitch darkness. A photographer captured the moment for posterity.

“I didn’t realize the camera was up there, and somebody from the corner took a picture of my dad and I talking, me with the jacket on, out on the balcony, and it’s one of the better pictures we have. Think it’s my dad’s or my mom’s WhatsApp picture, which is really cool to see, and then having Kelley up there for that, as well, is special,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to recreate that again with any of them, but I’m really glad that they let us do that and they got to see the history of it.”

2023 Masters
Jon Rahm is presented with the green jacket after winning the 2023 Masters. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network)

Rahm hasn’t watched the full broadcast of his victory, which was recently added to YouTube, but he has seen the hour-long documentary the club annually produces. Asked to recall his favorite moment from last year’s triumph, he referenced his four-putt on the first hole in the opening round. “That’s always going to bring a smile to my face,” he said. “It’s fun to think about it now, that four-putt.”

What else stood out to him? “I had this image in my mind of how great I played all week, which I did, and then I watch the actual summary, and I couldn’t help to think, man, I missed a lot more shots than I thought I did, which I guess is a good lesson to have in mind, right, not only that I could play better in theory but the fact that there’s a mental lesson there.  It’s just mainly that you’re going to miss shots out there and you just have to figure out how to minimize the damage.”

Rahm, who defected to LIV in December, is just weeks away from making his title defense at Augusta National and a lot has changed for the reigning Masters champion. Last year, he had made eight starts before the Masters, winning three times, while this year he’ll be down to five and has yet to win any of his starts on the 54-hole limited-field LIV schedule. Another change for Rahm: Last year, he didn’t play the week before the Masters while this year he has a LIV event he’s required to play at Trump Doral in Miami.

“But I’ve done it in the past and done well. It’s hard to say what’s better or not. It’s a little different. I’m glad that this year we’re going to a challenging golf course before playing a major because that I think gets you prepped very, very well for a major tournament,” he said. “I feel like my game is in really good position. I have not played my best yet. But I can see it every tournament getting a little bit better and getting to a point where I like where I’m at coming up to the Masters.”

Rahm announced his menu for the Champions Dinner, which he said was the easy part; it’s the speech he’ll have to make at the Tuesday night dinner he’ll host for the past champions that has been weighing on his mind.

“This has definitely been rent-free in my head,” he said. “I usually have no issues with public speaking, no problem. I’ll get up there and talk about anything. Just the image of standing up and having everybody in that room look at me and having to speak to all these great champions, it’s quite daunting.”

Rahm added that he’s not one to prepare remarks; he’s better at speaking from the heart.

“That’s usually what delivers the better speech,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to say, but hopefully one or two glasses of wine help me get a little bit more fluid in that speech.”

Jon Rahm’s 2024 Masters champions dinner menu serves up some Spanish flair

If you’re not hungry now, you will be after reading this.

Jon Rahm is giving the past winners at Augusta National a taste of Spain with his 2024 champions dinner menu.

Officially known as the Masters Club Dinner, the gathering of past Masters champions happens every Tuesday of tournament week and dates to Ben Hogan in 1952. This year, the dinner will be held April 9, 2024, and feature a variety of Spanish cuisine, the majority of which hales from Rahm’s native Basque region of the country.

“With the help of José Andres, the chef who I feel like needs no introduction for a lot of people, we made what would be a northern Spanish Basque country Bilbao menu and basically put in all of my favorites and even included a dish from my grandma,” said Rahm of his menu. “He called my grandma for the recipe. If somebody doesn’t like it, please just don’t tell me.  Don’t tell anyone actually. It means a little bit too much to me to hear it.”

From tapas and pinxtos to a first-course salad, main course fish and steak and a creamy desert, here’s what will be served in honor of Mr. Jon Rahm at the 2024 Masters Club Dinner.

MORE: Masters Champions Dinner menus over the last 30 years

Starters (tapas y pinxtos)

Ibericos: Acord-fed iberian ham cured pork loin

Idiazabal con Trufa Negra: Idiazabal cheese, black truffle

Tortilla de Patatas: Spanish omelette, onions, confit potatoes

Chistorra con Patata: Spicy basque chorizo, potato

Lentejas Estofadas: Mama Rahm’s classic lentil stew

Croqueta de Pollo: Creamy chicken fritters, confit potatoes

First course

Ensalada de Txangurro: Basque crab salad, potato

Main course (choice of)

Chuleton a la Parilla: Basque ribeye, tudela lettuce, piquillo peppers

“Usually traditionally they will basically serve it to you already cut up and then you have a hot plate that you can cook it up to your temperature,” Rahm said. “Most people in northern Spain go about as much as medium rare. If you go past that, you’re going to get a weird look just because that’s how we are. Very proud people of what we do, and meat usually is high quality.”

“That would be essentially what’s my favorite. Every time I go back home I try to eat it. It’s in a serving size, so usually those steaks are about four pounds, and you’re searing it. It’s not single service,” he added. “You’re searing it with at least three or four people. They usually also come with peppers, sometimes fries, sometimes a little salad; this is lettuce, onions, olive oil and vinegar.”

Rodaballo al Pil-Pil: Turbot, navarra white asparagus

“It’s a white fish, very local from where I come from, which actually most common is cod or sea bass, but I don’t like cod so I refuse to have something I don’t like at my dinner,” said Rahm.

Dessert

Milhojas de Crema y Nata: Puff pastry cake, custard and chantilly cream

“Then dessert, the translation from Spanish, which is Milhojas, would be 1,000 leaves. It’s basically a puff pastry with custard and just very little layers,” he explained. “It was basically Kelley and I’s wedding cake. It varies a little bit where you’re doing it in Spain, but it’s absolutely one of my favorites.”

Wine

Rahm will serve a Basque white wine from Vizcaya, called Txakoli, which is a bit drier than normal white wine. He will also serve a red win, Imperial.

“I wanted to put a little bit of my heritage and my family into this dinner, which is going to make it even more special,” said Rahm. “Hopefully I get to do it again, but I wanted to make sure the Basque Heritage was there. I know José has done it twice, but where he’s from and where I’m from is a little bit different, so I wanted to put a little bit of my essence into it, and I’m hoping they really like it.”

If all that tastes as good as it sounds, the past champions are in for quite a treat.

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