Jon Rahm OUT of US Open with foot injury
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Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the US Open at Pinehurst with a foot injury.
The Spaniard, who was forced out of LIV Houston with the injury – a cut to his left foot that had become infected – at the weekend, had hoped to recover in time for the year’s third men’s Major and had faced the media earlier on Tuesday where he admitted he was ‘concerned’ about his fitness.
But on Tuesday afternoon the former World No.1 announced he’d withdrawn after seeking medical advice.
“After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health, to withdraw from this weeks US Open Championship,” he wrote on X.
“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!”
The 2021 champion had arrived for his morning press conference wearing a flip-flop on his left foot with his pinky toe protected by a plaster and with a spacer between his toes.
The injury had forced him to withdraw from the latest LIV event midway through the second round on Saturday and he had detailed the injury to the world’s press at Pinehurst.
“We’ve been trying to figure it out because I think that the closest term would be a lesion on the skin,” the two-time Major champion explained. “If I were to show you, it’s a little low in between my pinky toe and the next toe. I don’t know how or what happened, but it got infected. The pain was high.
“On the Saturday round, Saturday morning, I did get a shot to numb the area. The infection was the worrisome part. The infection is now controlled, but there’s still swelling and there’s still pain. There’s a reason I walked out here in a shoe and a flip-flop, trying to keep the area dry and trying to get that to heal as soon as possible. But I can only do what I can do. The human body can only work so fast.”
Rahm did admit that he was unsure if the injury would prevent him from teeing it up come Thursday, when he was due to play alongside Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama. See all of the tee times and groups.
“As to right now this week, I don’t know,” he shrugged.
A few hours later and he did know, informing tournament chiefs that he was withdrawing from the 156-man field. We’re yet to discover if he’ll be replaced with the USGA’s criteria unclear and none of the alternates aware of whether they’ll get the call.
“There are two ways an alternate can earn a place in the field. When a qualifier withdraws, the spot is filled by the first alternate from that qualifying site,” the USGA says. “When an exempt player withdraws, or an exemption category is not fully utilized, we use the reallotment list. The reallotment list comprises alternates from all qualifying sites, and the order is determined by the size and strength of the qualifying field.”
Unfortunately for the players on the “re-allotment list” there isn’t a physical list ranking the alternates. Even the players’ managers are struggling to find out, reportedly asking writers in the media centre if they have any idea what their player’s chances of getting in might be.
Perhaps the easiest solution is for Rahm to tag in one of his Legion XIII teammates and keep LIV’s 13 spots in the field.
About the Author
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge regarding golf balls, rangefinders, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.
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Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the US Open.
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Jon Rahm had arrived for his US Open press conference wearing a flip-flop on his left foot.
