Jon Rahm’s season debut was cut short Friday after a few errant drives led to a second-round 77 and a missed cut at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Rahm, who opened with 69 in his tournament debut, made a pair of double bogeys – including taking two penalty drops on the par-5 18th hole – to miss just his third cut since 2021.
“Not the way you want to start the year,” Rahm told reporters after the round, “but if there’s any positive side of it is it’s the beginning of the year. There’s a lot of golf and a lot of months to look forward to. I have a pretty clear idea of what I need to work on. So these next two weeks, go home and try to get better.”
Rahm’s next scheduled start will be the LIV season opener, Feb. 6-8, in Saudi Arabia.
On that front, it’s been a busy week for the league.
LIV officially unveiled its new CEO, Scott O’Neil, who will replace Greg Norman, and announced its new TV deal with Fox Sports.
Rahm said that O’Neil, a former NBA and NHL executive, should have a “very positive impact” on the league.
“Even though Greg has treated me great, I think having somebody like Scott, who is a little bit outside the world of golf but very much in the world of sport, I think makes him kind of a perfect match for that,” Rahm said.
“I think, unfortunately, there’s possibly a little too much bad blood between Greg and the governing bodies, and to have somebody outside of that might help the situation. Plus, his overall view with his experience in the NBA, and based on what I talk to him about and the vision he has and the enthusiasm, I think he’s going to be a very positive impact for LIV and Fox as well.”
Earlier this week, Rahm said that professional golf is in a “golden era” with limitless potential, even as the PGA Tour and LIV’s financial backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, try to hammer out a deal that could help reunify the sport.
Rahm said O’Neil’s presence and fresh perspective could help the proceedings.
“Having an outsider – and I say outsider because he has not been involved – could be a very good thing when it comes to him sitting down at the table with the other governing bodies,” Rahm said. “An outside perspective, and maybe a less threatening image, might help that as well.”
