Jon Rahm stumbled in his 2024 debut, missing the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic after shooting a second-round 77. It’s just his third missed cut since 2021.
The opening round’s promising 69 gave way to a Friday filled with trouble off the tee. Rahm carded two double bogeys, including a messy finish on the par-5 18th that required two penalty drops.
“Not the way you want to start the year,” Rahm said. “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.”
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He’ll have two weeks to sort things out before teeing it up at LIV Golf’s season opener in Saudi Arabia, February 6-8.
Speaking of LIV, it’s been a transformative week for the upstart league. They’ve brought in Scott O’Neil as CEO, replacing Greg Norman, and locked down a new TV partnership with Fox Sports.
Rahm’s pretty optimistic about O’Neil, who brings fresh perspective from his time as an NBA and NHL executive. “Even though Greg has treated me great, having somebody like Scott, who’s a little bit outside the world of golf but very much in the world of sport, makes him kind of a perfect match,” he said.
That outsider status might actually be O’Neil’s biggest asset. “There’s possibly a little too much bad blood between Greg and the governing bodies,” Rahm explained. “Having somebody outside of that might help the situation.”
The timing’s interesting. Professional golf’s at a crossroads, with the PGA Tour and LIV’s backers (the Saudi Public Investment Fund) trying to hash out an agreement. Rahm thinks we’re in a “golden era” with huge potential – if everyone can get on the same page.
That’s where O’Neil comes in. “Having an outsider could be a very good thing when it comes to sitting down at the table with other governing bodies,” Rahm said. “An outside perspective, and maybe a less threatening image, might help that as well.”
