World No.1 Ram's Concern: "How to Defend the European Tour Title?"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The world No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain, photo) is facing growing concerns.

On the 19th (Korean time), at a press conference held at Boston TPC in Norton, Massachusetts, USA, he stated, "I will not be going to Europe for the time being." After winning the Memorial Tournament last month, he is currently ranked 10th in the PGA Tour Playoff (PO) rankings and will participate in the 'PO 3 events' starting with The Northern Trust (total prize money $9.5 million) opening on the night of the 20th. The second event, the BMW Championship, is scheduled for the 27th, followed by the final third event, the Tour Championship, on September 4th.

The issue lies with defending his European Tour titles. It is interesting that Rahm secured three wins last year. Although the Spanish Open was already canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Irish Open has been rescheduled to September 24-27, and the 2020 season finale, the DP World Tour Championship (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), is set for December 10-13. He expressed concerns that "wearing a mask and flying for over 10 hours is not good for health."

For now, he plans to complete the second major, the US Open (September 17-20), then review COVID-19 guidelines and each country's quarantine levels before traveling. Rahm added, "It is even uncertain whether I will be able to see my family in Spain at Christmas in December," and said, "If I had to choose between returning to Spain to meet my family at the end of the year and participating in golf tournaments, I would definitely give up the competitions."

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