Jon Rahm has 'difficult' LIV Golf problem heading into the US Open

Jon Rahm's attention may be on the LIV Golf Houston event, yet he might be yearning to defend his title at the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament.

Back in July 2020, Rahm clinched victory at the Memorial Tournament with a 9-under finish at Muirfield Village Golf Club. But since his move to LIV Golf, the 29 year old is barred from participating in this, and indeed any, PGA Tour events. And the practice would have been priceless, ahead of the looming US Open.

Rahm has previously expressed his regret over not being able to defend his titles. "For everybody who said this would be easy, some things have been, but not being able to defend some titles that mean a lot to me hasn't," Rahm admitted, as reported by ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

The year following his Memorial Tournament win, Rahm was on track for another triumph in Dublin, Ohio. Leading by 6 strokes in the third round, his campaign was cut short when he tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to withdraw.

At the time, Rahm expressed his frustration, saying, "I'm very disappointed in having to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament. This is one of those things that happens in life, one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people," according to his official statement.

It's uncertain when, or indeed if, Rahm will be able to return to the Memorial Tournament. After his switch to LIV Golf last December, he faced a ban from PGA Tour events.

Yet, his triumph at the 2023 Masters has secured him an enduring spot at Augusta National and five-year exemptions for other major championships including the US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship.

Rahm's stellar performance in 2023 earned him victories at the PGA Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the American Express at Palm Springs, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and notably, the Masters in Augusta.

Despite being eligible for the Masters, he was excluded from the other three prestigious tournaments.

"I love Palm Springs. I've been able to win twice there. Riviera is about as charismatic of a golf course as we have. Not being there was difficult," Rahm expressed.

"I still watch golf because I love watching it. But it's hard. It was hard not to be at the Phoenix Open at the end of February and it was hard not to be at Hawaii."

Nonetheless, Rahm seems to be relishing his role as captain of Legion XIII in the LIV Golf series, which reportedly paid him a whopping £450m ($566.4m) signing fee.

So far, he's pocketed £4,025,303 ($5,095,321) over the first seven tournaments, ranking him eighth in earnings within the controversial Saudi-backed league.