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Jon Rahm has officially withdrawn from the US Open field at Pinehurst. An infected sore on his left foot will be the cause of the absence, stripping the LIV golfer of one of his final opportunities to land OWGR points.
His first two major performances left a lot to be desired, as he finished 45th in the Masters field and missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
That’s led to a fall from 3rd to 8th in the Official Golf World Rankings, and with that LIV affiliation, it leaves him just one more chance to climb back up the standings.
News of the withdrawal broke Tuesday afternoon, with ESPN’s Marty Smith one of the first on the scene.
He gave followers an extremely detailed update on the situation.
BREAKING NEWS: 2x Major Champion Jon Rahm has decided to withdraw from the US Open at Pinehurst, due to an infected sore located between the little toe and the next toe on his left foot, sources close to Rahm tell me.
I’m told the infection is healing with antibiotic treatment,…— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) June 11, 2024
Rahm confirmed those reports while expressing regret over missing the tournament.
After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health to withdraw from this week’s US Open Championship. To say I’m disappointed is a massive understatement! I wish all my peers the best of luck and want to thank all of the USGA staff, volunteers and community of Pinehurst for hosting and putting on what I’m sure will be an amazing championship! Hopefully I’ll be back in action sooner than later!
After a dominant run in 2023, which saw him win the Masters, finish runner-up in the Open Championship, and place 10th in the US Open, his struggles in ’24 majors continue – both on and off the course.
The announcement comes at an unfortunate time for Jon Rahm, who had just four chances this season to gain those all-important OWGR points.
The golfer has been critical of the decision to omit LIV tournaments from OWGR opportunities, going as far as to offer a potential fix on how the points should be adjusted for those off the PGA Tour.
“I’m going to be as blunt as I can,” he said back in November of 2022. “I think the OWGR is laughable… If your requirement is to have world rankings points as 72 holes, and a cut, maybe you don’t award 100 percent of the points since [LIV players] aren’t fulfilling all of the requirements.”
While he’s struggled in his majors, he’s played respectably on the LIV Tour this season. Though he hasn’t landed a win, he’s posted four Top 5’s while finishing Top 10 in each of his first seven events before having to withdraw midway through the Houston tournament last week.
He won’t be in the US Open field this year, though, meaning all of those OWGR eggs now lie in the Open Championship basket next month.