Rahm returns to Europe in pursuit of record 4th Spanish Open trophy and Ryder Cup eligibility
Captain Jon Rahm, of Legion XIII, hits from the second tee during the final round of LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Bolingbrook, Ill. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP)
MADRID (AP) — Jon Rahm is back in Europe to try to win a record fourth Spanish Open trophy as well as boost his bid for Ryder Cup eligibility.
It will be the former top-ranked golfer’s first European tour start since he joined LIV Golf last December.
The Spanish Open that starts on Thursday is set to be Rahm’s first of three tournaments in Europe in September and October, which would see him reach the minimum four European tour starts required to be considered for the Ryder Cup next year.
Rahm has entered the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and the Andalucia Masters in Spain — both in October. That would give him four starts because the Paris Olympics also counts toward the minimum.
The Spaniard is being allowed to play after appealing the European tour sanctions against him for playing the LIV circuit. He can play until an independent panel decides if he must pay fines.
A former Masters champion, Rahm joined the Saudi-funded league late last year for a signing bonus reported to be in the $300 million to $400 million range.
Other players who defected to LIV, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, are going through the same appeal and are allowed into tournaments as the process plays out. Both are entered in the Spanish Open. Other LIV golfers expected to play in the Spanish capital are Eugenio Chacarra, David Puig and Patrick Reed.
Rahm was a late arrival to Madrid and skipped the pro-am at his home tournament because of the birth of his third child.
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Rahm, who won the LIV individual title, did not play in the LIV Golf Team Championship last week because of severe flu symptoms.
He is trying to become the first four-time winner in the 52-year history of the Spanish Open. He won the event in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Matthieu Pavon is the defending champion in the tournament that this year will include Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka.
“Winning here last year changed my life,” said Pavon, who won his first European tour title in the Spanish capital.
Fleetwood and Lowry are playing their third straight week on the European tour. Straka is playing under his exemption as being on the last Ryder Cup team.
Fleetwood seeks to keep momentum
Since winning the Dubai Invitational in January, Fleetwood has finished third in the Masters, won a silver medal at the Olympics and missed just one cut.
“I think you never know what’s around the corner in the game,” he said. “One of the things that I’ve been sort of disappointed with this year: I played really, really well and I’ve played at a high, consistent level but I’ve always been half a step behind, if you like, from contending on a Sunday.”
Lowry back in Spain
Lowry, Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup teammate, is making his return to the Spanish Open after more than a decade. He will try to win his seventh European tour title. The Irishman won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Rory McIlroy in April.
“I feel like I’ve done that quite a bit this year but I obviously haven’t knocked one off yet on my own. Helped Rory over the line at one stage,” he said. “I’ve got four tournaments left in the season and my main goal for the next four tournaments is to try and get a win.”
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