Rahm defends PGA Tour prize pots ahead of Tour Championship

Bernie McGuire
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Jon Rahm at Muirfield Village (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Bernie McGuire

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The World No.1 Jon Rahm is getting used to fielding questions right out of left field.

Take last week’s BMW Championship.

Rahm had to call a penalty on himself on the fifth hole on day three of the championship when he inadvertently picked-up his ball while his marker was still in his pocket.

Then in ending his round, the very first question put to Rahm – a question he knew would be asked – was as follows and with Rahm not all together happy about.

Qn: What happened on the 5th hole?

JON RAHM: Not “good round, good day, great play”? Can we go straight to that? Come on!”

And it was much the same today in attending the East Lake ‘virtual’ media centre.

The question: Was the current World No. 1 comfortable with the vast sums of money on offer in recent weeks on the PGA Tour given what has been taking place in the world over the past six months?

Wow!

This time Rahm split the fairway with a perfect opening drive, so to say, in answering the question put to him at his press conference ahead of this week’s 2019/20 PGA Tour season-ending Tour Championship.

“Well, I mean, we can’t control what happens in the world, and I certainly can’t control how much we play for,” said the Spaniard.

“The truth is the PGA TOUR and many PGA TOUR players do an outstanding job with the platform that we have to help communities all around the country. We play 40-plus weeks a year, and each week we help a community.

“So no, I don’t feel guilty. I myself have donated a lot throughout my four years on TOUR to survivors of sometimes natural disasters, or sometimes different people might need help, and I think that’s where the PGA TOUR comes in. How much money have we donated throughout the year thanks to PGA TOUR event events and how many communities we’ve been able to help.

“So, I think that’s a bigger picture than just how much money one player gets. And honestly, in my case, if I were to win, yeah, the money is great, but I think we’re all here to try to be the best. That is much more enticing than anything else.

“Now, with that said, $15 million, well, I would comfortably say, hopefully if I manage it possibly my kids and possibly my grandkids and even possibly my great grand kids might have their way paid through college.

“Again, it’s a much bigger picture of the platform the PGA TOUR has and what we can do with it than the material meaning of it.”

Jon, A good, mature response to what indeed was one right out of left field.

 

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