Jon Rahm endured a major less year in 2022, failing to post a top-10 in any of the major championships despite the 2021 US Open champion entering the final round of his defence of that championship a shot off the pace before Matt Fitzpatrick reigned supreme.
The Spaniard has been long tipped to join Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia in winning a green jacket at Augusta National in the future. Rahm would dearly love to make the Masters his second major crown, not only for the accolades, the glory and the golfing immortality that comes with it, but to be able to host and take a seat at the Champions Dinner for as long as he sees fit.
The World Number Five would love nothing more than to be a fly on the wall at this year’s Champions Dinner as it will be the first since LIV Golf drove a wedge (no pun intended) into the world of golf.
“One thing I keep going back to (laughing), and it’s probably only funny to me, but I think the Masters Champions Dinner’s going to be a little tense compared to how it’s been in the past,” Rahm said.
“So I keep thinking about it because I wish I could be there and just be able to see how things work out. Too bad the U.S. Open doesn’t have one of those.
“But, yeah, I think it’s an exciting year. Obviously, we’re all curious about how it’s going to work out, but we’re all excited to see how it’s going to unfold and how it’s going to play out for everybody.”
While the dynamic surrounding the Masters dinner is intriguing from the outside looking in, Rahm was quick to play down any rumours of animosity and tension between PGA Tour/DP World Tour and LIV Golf players at the major championships.
“I think it’s going to be the same,” he added. “I mean, I didn’t feel a difference in any of the majors last year. If somebody has a problem with LIV players, they’re just not going to deal with them and that’s about it.
“In my mind, like I’ve said it before, I respect their choice and the ones I was friends with before, I’m still going to be friends with, right? It doesn’t change the way I’m going to operate with them.
“So I think a lot of, let’s say, animosity, if there’s any, might be created more by you guys than anything else. I don’t think there’s that much of a problem between players, at least in person, because if there is, they can avoid each other.”
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