This is the revealing truth of how Jon Rahm arrived at Augusta 370 days later

Numbers don’t lie and so Jon Rahm, current Augusta Masters championhe is referring to, there is a revealing truth about how from Barrika came from preparation (in terms of competition) to the first ‘major’ of the season.

Among those played (and won) by the Basque January to April 6, 2023and what he did in about the same period of time (from January to April 11) this 2024there is a big difference in tournaments, wins and rounds played.

Jon told the Spanish media that traveled to Augusta (including this newspaper) that he was physically better at this event than last year. Rahm played at the beginning of the year in the PGA Tour 8 tournaments, with 3 wins (Tournament of Champions, Amex and Genesis Invitational), two top tens, a tie for 39th, a withdrawal due to gastroenteritis and an elimination in the group stage of the defunct Dell World Match Play Championship. That translates to 33 rounds of golf and three match play eliminators.

Compared to the beginning of the 2024 season, today is at LIV (His signing caused a real earthquake in the world of golf and the American circuit in particular), Rahm entered Augusta’s Magnolia Lane with five tournaments (54 holes) played, that is, 15 rounds of golf, zero wins and five top tens : one third, one eighth, one fifth, one eighth and one fourth, the last in Miami last Sunday.

At the official press conference, Rahm ignored doubters that his preparation for the Masters by playing LIV Golf was not ideal. “For me it’s the same as before. I remember that last year I won three times and nobody gave me as a favorite because a month before I didn’t play very well. And for the fact that I didn’t succeed, I couldn’t it will be 2021 before he wins US Openso if history repeats itself, it won’t be bad…”.

Jon reiterated his love for the PGA Tour, he claimed that in LIV Golf there is also pressure to win, he defended team golf, he continues to support the circuits union, he hopes to find a way to make room. for the best in the Saudi league in Grand Slams and he wasn’t worried that he hadn’t won before the Masters.

Regarding the LIV Golf tournaments over four days, Jon said: “I think there’s no doubt that playing four days favors the best. I get asked about four days because I’ve never won, but I don’t think they are related things “I, of course, don’t think about it when I compete,” he said.

Rahm directly acknowledged for the first time that two of the reasons he went to LIV were: to help reach a faster deal with the PGA Tour and to get (read exemptions) five years of Grand Slams on his success at the Masters. “If I hadn’t won a major in 2023 I probably wouldn’t have decided to go to LIV.”