Jon Rahm misses cut in Dubai, sees ‘positive impact’ of new LIV leader

Jon Rahm’s season debut was cut short Friday after a couple of errant drives led to a second-round 77 and a missed cut at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Rahm, who opened with a 69 in his tournament debut, made a pair of double bogeys – including two penalties on the par-5 18th^th hole – to miss only his third cut since 2021.

“Not the way you want to start the year,” Rahm told reporters after the round, “but if there’s any upside it’s the start of the year. There is a lot of golf and many months to look forward to. I have a pretty clear idea of ​​what I need to work on. So these next two weeks, go home and try to be better.”

Rahm’s next scheduled start will be LIV’s season opener, June 6-8. February, in Saudi Arabia.

On that front, it was a busy week for the league.
LIV officially unveiled its new CEO, Scott O’Neil, who will replace Greg Norman, and announced a new TV deal with Fox Sports.

Rahm said O’Neil, a former NBA and NHL executive, should have a “very positive impact” on the league.

“Even though Greg has treated me great, I think having someone like Scott, who is a little bit outside of the golf world but a lot in the sports world, I think makes him a perfect match for that,” Rahm said.

“I think, unfortunately, there may be too much bad blood between Greg and the governing bodies, for someone outside of that to help the situation. Plus, his overall outlook on his experience in the NBA, and based on what I’m talking to him about and the vision he has and his enthusiasm, I think he’s going to have a very positive impact on both LIV and Fox.”

Rahm said earlier this week that professional golf is in a “golden era” with unlimited potential, even as the PGA Tour and LIV’s financial backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, try to reach a deal that could help reunite the sport.

Rahm said O’Neal’s presence and fresh perspective could help the proceedings.

“Having an outsider — and I say outsider because he wasn’t involved — could be a very good thing when it comes to getting him to the table with other governing bodies,” Rahm said. “An outside perspective, and perhaps a less threatening image, can also help with that.”