Jon Rahm appeared to suffer an injury as he winced after playing a shot at the LIV Golf event in Houston.
On Friday, Rahm was even through four holes of his opening round in Houston when he teed off at the par-three seventh. The Spaniard played his shot but immediately winced in pain and appeared to limp off camera.
Rahm is playing in his first competitive appearance since the USPGA too, when he missed the cut at a low-scoring Valhalla last month despite shooting one-under. His lighter schedule is all part of the 29-year-old’s choice to switch to the lucrative LIV Golf circuit rather than continue to ply his trade on the PGA Tour.
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Perhaps the lighter schedule is affecting his health, but Rahm swiftly recovered - or he’s at least battling through the pain. The former U.S. Open champion responded with a birdie on the eighth and recorded another birdie on the tenth hole to climb the leaderboard at two-under with 10 to play at the Golf Club of Houston.
The LIV Golf Houston event, scheduled from June 7 to 9, features a hefty purse of $22 million with the winner taking home $4 million. In contrast, the PGA Memorial Tournament, which Rahm won a year ago, offers a total purse of $20 million, with the winner earning $3.6 million.
The event is a historic first for LIV Golf as the series makes its debut in Texas. The Golf Club of Houston, the chosen venue for the tournament, has a rich history of hosting the Houston Open from 2003 to 2019. The state will also host the season-ending Team Championship at LIV Golf Dallas from 20-22 September.
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The Houston tournament will be the first of two LIV Golf events within three weeks, with the PGA's U.S. Open in between. Any rust that Rahm may be carrying that contributed to his injury will likely be shaken off over the busy next few weeks.
Ultimately, Rahm appears to be enjoying life as captain of Legion XIII on LIV Golf, which gave him a reported £450m ($566.4m) to join. Through the first seven tournaments of the season, he’s earned £4,025,303 ($5,095,321) - the eighth most in earnings among all players in the Saudi-backed league.
Rahm will be looking to add to his pair of major titles at Pinehurst next week. Rahm is a former champion of the event, winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in California in 2021 to claim his maiden major title before adding the Masters in 2023.