‘You’re a sellout, no one likes you!’ That was the American spectators’ heckle of choice for Jon Rahm on Saturday. But for the European fans this week, that sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth.
Fresh off a Masters victory and Europe’s drubbing of the Americans in Rome, in December 2023 the Spaniard was on top of the world. Then he and his Legion XIII crossed the golfing Rubicon.
When Rahm made the controversial leap from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf breakaway he banked a reported $500million but the general belief was that his defection cost him something money can’t buy: His Ryder Cup career.
Yet, just two days into the Battle of Bethpage, the notion that Rahm’s Ryder Cup career was ever over was laughable. If Rory McIlroy is the star of this European team, Rahm is its heartbeat.
And it was never clearer than on the tricky, downhill par-three eighth in Saturday morning’s foursomes when Rahm breathed life back into his and Tyrrell Hatton’s clash against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffle.
Fresh off squandering a 2-up lead, Rahm found himself feet planted in the bunker, ball knee-height in the rough on the bank above, and a terrible, thick, juicy lie.
Jon Rahm was far from a LIV Golf sellout as he proved to be a Ryder Cup hero for Europe
The Spaniard and teammate Tyrrell Hatton share a hug after winning their foursomes match
‘Me gusta a la playa,’ bellowed one American fan. ‘Do you want to borrow my beach chair?’ asked another. To them, Rahm faced a devilishly difficult challenge – one he happily accepted.
But with those famed ‘Spanish hands,’ he gripped down on his club and produced magic. He sank a shot that Schauffele, also in the rough, simply had no answer to. From there, Rahm and Hatton were up the whole way.
Just as the classless New York crowd looked to have found its voice, they ripped the wind from the Americans’ sails and the Spanish Armada cruised on to a 3&2 victory.
It improved his Ryder Cup foursomes record to 5-0-0. He and Hatton also remained unbeaten – the lethal partnership marrying one of golf’s fiercest competitors with one of its fiercest temperaments.
Saturday morning was just the latest strike in Rahm’s relentless assault on the red, white and blue. NFL star and Rahm’s close friend JJ Watt even had to text the Spaniard with a desperate plea to ‘settle down.’
Rahm was eventually struck down by the USA. He and Sepp Straka had convincingly sealed a point in Friday’s foursomes but couldn’t repeat the feat as JJ Spaun and Schauffele finally halted the blustering Basque in the afternoon. The same couldn’t be said for Scottie Scheffler.
Rahm proved that he can still take on the best, including world No 1 Scottie Scheffler
His and Hatton’s victory improved Rahm’s Ryder Cup foursomes record to 5-0-0
A main dismissal of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit has been its lack of competitive golf – its stars only testing their mettle against the PGA Tour’s best four times a year. But at Bethpage, Rahm has had no issue taking down the world’s very best.
He and Straka condemned world No 1 Scheffler to his second defeat of the tournament in Friday’s fourball session. Hours earlier, not only had he and Hatton stared down the USA’s supposed talisman Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas in the tournament opener, they had demolished them.
A true leader of this European team, Rahm is the weapon the USA wants and expects Scheffler to be. He is the player Europe can always count on to pit against America’s best.
And Luke Donald will be doing so once again when Rahm faces off against Schauffele in Sunday’s singles – even if the whole tournament may be over by Match 6.
