Jon Rahm was late to the 2024 Spanish Open, missing the pro-am and arriving just a day before competition was to start at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
He had a good reason for his tardiness: he was in Scottsdale, Arizona, at home with his wife who just delivered the couple’s third child.
While the Presidents Cup has taken center stage this week for many fans, the DP World Tour has a strong field for its event, one that’s full of Ryder Cuppers and LIV players.
The last time we saw Rahm, he was pulling out of the LIV Golf Team Championship with the flu. And while he is seeking his fourth win in his native country’s open as one of 24 Spanish players in the field, he’s playing his first DP World Tour event since joining LIV Golf nine months ago. It’s the first of three events on the Euro circuit he’s planning to play in order to keep his Ryder Cup eligibility. He’s also appealing sanctions from the DP World Tour for his LIV participation, an appeal that’s on hold for now, allowing him to play this week.
That’s a lot of subplots for one man.
Joining Rahm in the Spanish Open is Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed, Aaron Rai, Sepp Straka and Matthieu Pavon, the event’s defending champion.