LIV Golf is making its South Africa debut this week, and Jon Rahm of Spain isn’t quite sure just what to expect on his first visit to the nation.
Except kikuyu grass at The Club at Steyn City, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Midrand, South Africa.
It’s a thick grass native to Africa, but it isn’t uncommon in the United States, especially in warm-weather climates. It’s tough to hit the ball out of the rough. And the fact the thick turf typically favors the long hitters — like Rahm — will play to his advantage.
“Off the tee, you’re not going to expect a lot of roll; you can probably be aggressive,” Rahm said. “There’s quite a bit of a margin of error off the tee, so hitting it long is going to be an advantage. Greens seem to be soft. It’s going to be tricky to get them as firm as they probably want to.
“But that combination essentially gives the people that hit it the furthest an advantage. And I would say the same thing in desert golf; usually it’s not as firm as it needs to be. Power and birdies is what you need. Not that people that hit it a little bit shorter can’t do it, but when you give some of the best players in the world that have distance free range off the tee, you’re going to see a lot of birdies, and I think that’s what’s going to happen.”
Power and birdies. That’s the recipe for Rahm.
So far this season, he is fourth in the LIV Golf League with a driving distance of 309.1 yards. He’s first in greens in regulation (81.94%) and in birdies, averaging 5.69 per round.
“With the fantastic facilities they have here and the crew working on the course, if they can get it up to speed and firm, it could change a little bit, but I think as of now you’re going to have to expect some low scores unless we get some really heavy wind just because at altitude it also plays a little bit shorter than the distance will say on the scorecard,” he said.
After LIV Golf South Africa, the tour will take a break until LIV Golf Mexico City on April 16-19. That break, of course, is for the Masters Tournament.
Three of the four players on Rahm’s Legion XIII team have qualified to play at Augusta National — Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin. Caleb Surratt is the only non-qualifier from the team. No other LIV Golf team will have three players at the Masters.
“I think it speaks to the level of golf that we’ve all had before and after joining LIV,” Rahm said. “The goal now would be to hopefully have all four of us in majors and say all of us are good enough to qualify and be there. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in the near future.”
Rahm won the Masters in 2023 by four strokes over fellow LIV players Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Koepka has returned to the PGA Tour.
He said his goal for his trip to Augusta next month is simple.
“I hope I win. I’m going to try my best and hope I can get a second green jacket,” he said. “That’s the goal.”
–Field Level Media
