Jon Rahm has expressed a desire for an off-season and hopes the increasingly close ties between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour will help bring it about in the future.
The Spaniard is coming to the end of a hugely successful PGA Tour season and heads into this week’s BMW Championship top of the FedEx Cup standings with one eye on next week’s season-closing Tour Championship at East Lake.
Beyond that, there is his participation in the Ryder Cup next month to continue a gruelling 2023, with further appearances on the DP World Tour anticipated as its season draws to a close towards the end of the year.
Rahm faced the media ahead of this week’s FedEx Cup Playoff at Olympia Fields, and admitted he would like that to change. He said: “I've been comfortable the last few years playing around 22, 23 events, but I can tell you I'm one of those players that wishes we could have an actual off-season, and with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour coming together closer, I'm hoping I get to a point where maybe October, November, December, there's no events for me to play.
“I can be home and be dad and earn an off-season like basically almost every other athlete in this country can do.”
There’s little prospect of that soon, particularly with Rahm’s commitment to the DP World Tour – whose season runs until November – and desire to play in his homeland. Indeed, as well as one Race To Dubai title and three season-closing DP World Tour Championship wins, Rahm has previously said it’s his “duty” to play in Spain when he can.
Rahm has spoken of the need for proper recuperation earlier this season. After his Masters win at Augusta National in April, he admitted to being tired at the following week’s RBC Heritage.
Then, before the Mexico Open later that month, he appeared philosophical about the rigours of life as an elite player, saying: “You know, I wish I could say one week off was enough. It was a long Masters and then went right away to RBC, so it wasn't - I wish I could have rested a little more, but it is the life we signed up for.“
If anything, Rahm is taking on even more commitments in 2024, including as part of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ TGL, which is due to start in January. He offered a glimpse of what fans can expect. On the simulator screen, he said: “I didn't realize how big it was going to be, which makes it a lot better.
“I'm looking forward to being able to start it. I don't know really what to expect with playing - I have a simulator in my home and it's a 14-foot screen TV and you're 12 feet from the screen, and from what I hear we're going to be 35 yards from the screen and the screen is going to be 60 feet wide and 40-some feet tall."
‘We've Got To Finish It Off’
Before all that, Rahm continues his pursuit of his first FedEx Cup title this week. If he achieves it, he’ll be an even stronger contender for the PGA Tour Player of the Season than he is now, having already won four times in 2023. Rahm admitted it’s an accolade he would like to receive.
He said: “Player of the Year is earned on the golf course. That's what I focus on. Because of what I've done this year, I've earned the spot to be considered Player of the Year, but we've got to finish it off. I would like to play good this week and next week to leave no, let's say, questionables in there and just clinch it.”
