Jon Rahm insists his competitive edge has not been dulled by his move to LIV Golf as he bids to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles.
Rahm바카라s shock move to the Saudi-backed breakaway competition came after he had previously pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour and criticised LIV바카라s 54-hole format, with no cut and a shotgun start as 바카라not a golf tournament바카라.
The two-time major winner has failed to win any of the five LIV events he has played but travelled to Augusta on the back of finishing fourth in Miami on Sunday and winning the team event at Doral.
바카라I바카라ve had a lot of fun playing in those events,바카라 Rahm said. 바카라The competition바카라s still there.
바카라Yeah, they바카라re smaller fields but you still have to beat some of the best players in the world and you still have to play at the same level you have to play on the PGA Tour to win those events.
바카라I understand there바카라s less people. I understand the team format바카라s a little different. I understand we바카라re going shotgun and things are a little bit different to how they are in a PGA TOUR event.
바카라But the pressure바카라s there. I want to win as bad as I wanted to win before I moved on to LIV. Going down the stretch when you바카라re in contention is the exact same feelings. That really doesn바카라t change.
바카라Winning is winning and that바카라s what matters.바카라
At this time last year Rahm had played eight PGA Tour events and won three of them, although his last two events before the Masters had seem him withdraw from the Players Championship due to illness and fail to advance from the group stages of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
바카라If anything, if I had to go based on how I feel today, on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,바카라 added Rahm, who started the first round with a four-putt bogey but still shot an opening 65.
바카라But then once competition starts, it doesn바카라t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You바카라ve got to go out there and post a score.
바카라It wouldn바카라t be the first time we hear somebody not feeling their best and winning. The first one that comes to mind is Ben Crenshaw after he lost his swing coach and to come back after being at the funeral and win it.
바카라So it바카라s not something that I have in mind [fewer competitive rounds], but I do feel fresh and ready for it.바카라
Rahm faced the 바카라quite daunting바카라 prospect of making a speech at his Champions Dinner in front of what he described as an audience of 바카라all the living legends in this game바카라.
That audience includes fellow LIV players and former champions Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed, but a lack of world ranking points for LIV events makes it much harder to earn a place in the year바카라s first major.
바카라There바카라s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in,바카라 Rahm said.
바카라I don바카라t know what that looks like. But there바카라s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete. They바카라ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way.바카라
