Jon Rahm blasts media and reveals reason for tears after first LIV Golf win
Former world number one Jon Rahm went after his critics after the Spaniard claimed his maiden LIV Golf League victory in the United Kingdom.
Jon Rahm says he's never been bothered about the criticism he received for joining LIV Golf after he secured his first win on the breakaway tour.
Rahm claimed his first win since slipping on the green jacket at the 2023 Masters at the JCB Golf & Country Club in Staffordshire on Sunday.
The Spaniard was tied on 13-under alongside his teammate Tyrrell Hatton but the Englishman made bogey on the final hole to hand Rahm the victory.
Rahm was immediately reduced to tears alongside his caddie Adam Hayes as he claimed the top prize of $4,000,000.
"It never bothered me because I don't think any of you guys [the media] would say something I wasn't already thinking," Rahm said when asked if he's ever been concerned with the noise.
"I'm my worst critic. When it comes to that, no, it really bothered me. Most of it was I hadn't won in a while and I had given myself a chance and I didn't get it done.
"I tried to use it as motivation and told myself if I put myself in that position again I was going to try my hardest to take advantage of it, so I'm glad I did."
Rahm said the tears flowed mainly because his wife Kelley Cahill and two sons weren't present.
The 20-year-old revealed before the 2024 Open Championship that Kelley's pregnancy hasn't been the easiest.
Rahm added: "For the most part, I feel like -- I've felt like from what I've read in media it's that I guess maybe my play hasn't reflected how good I really felt about my game.
"I felt like I was playing good, and I guess top 10 is not enough anymore, even when I didn't feel my best in some of the weeks.
"Just because I had poor performances at the Masters and the PGA, I think I was taking a lot of criticism just for two weeks on how I was really playing and how I really felt.
"So [I] feel really good to actually perform the way I did on the weekend last week and carry that over and win it.
"I'm happy about it, but you almost -- when you're in the public eye, you're going to get criticized. You almost have to use it as fuel to motivate yourself."
Rahm will now turn his attentions to the Olympic Games where he and David Puig will go for gold.
Xander Schauffele is the defending champion.
Rahm was asked how an Olympic gold medal would compare to his two major championship triumphs.
"I can't put it in a ranking based on majors and things like that yet," he said.
"But if I were to get it done on Sunday, ask me that same question and I'll be able to tell you because you can usually tell on the 18th green how it feels."
"This year was always going to be a bit of a learning experience"
Rahm's teammate Hatton was understandably disappointed after he three-putted the final green.
Hatton joined LIV in January for a reported $60m and has already secured his first win with rival league in Nashville.
Asked to reflected on his first year with LIV, Hatton said: "I think the easiest thing to say because this year was always going to be a bit of a learning experience.
"Going into something completely new for us. Obviously we knew exactly what it was like on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and things.
"I think it's been a fun year. We've been fortunate to go to some pretty cool places around the world and play some nice golf courses and enjoy cool moments as a team.
"Then as an individual, for me to win in Nashville last month was a huge relief just to win again as a professional because it had been such a long time."
He added: "To have that experience and do it, I think it was the best turnout attendance-wise for LIV in the U.S., so it was fun to play a tournament that had a really good atmosphere.
"I think each year that goes by, I think we'll see more and more fans coming to tournaments and creating a fun atmosphere for us players to play in.
"Ultimately at the end of the day that's kind of what we want. We want a good atmosphere, and the crowds this week really were fantastic.
"I'm not sure what the true number was, but it felt like there was a lot of people out there, and I think the exciting thing is that it can get bigger and bigger. It's fun to be a part of."
