Drew Stoltz has backed one LIV Golf star to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games as many of the world’s best gear up to take on Le Golf National in the coming days.
The Olympic Games arguably have added significance this year, with the event just outside Paris presenting one of the rare opportunities for the best from the PGA Tour to face off against many of LIV Golf’s biggest names.
Xander Schauffele may perhaps be the favourite, having won the gold medal three years ago in Tokyo as well as two major championships in 2024, while no-one will be foolish enough to write Scottie Scheffler off. Meanwhile, players such as Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood will also have their sights set on a podium finish – with the latter previously winning Open de France around this week’s course.
But a player who goes into the Olympics having won in recent days is Jon Rahm, with the Spaniard finally securing his first individual victory on LIV Golf at JCB.
Jon Rahm backed to win gold medal
Rahm has struggled in the major championships this season, with his performance at The Open proving to be, by far, his best showing of the year. But speaking on Subpar, Stoltz revealed that he is backing the 29-year-old for the gold medal.
“Just won on LIV for the first time, I think it’s a lot later than a lot of people would have expected. You and I had him at three and a half wins this season on LIV, I thought he would go over there and have his way. He hasn’t, but he’s got that first one; still hasn’t finished outside the top 10 and I think there was a sigh of relief like, okay, ‘at least I can put that question to bed, now I’ve won over here, everyone get off me’. In good form, clearly, got a lot of help from Tyrrell on the last hole,” he said.
A point to prove
Rahm has had a bit of a point to prove after making the move to LIV less than a year ago; at the time, the two-time major champion was arguably the best player on the planet, particularly after a stunning Ryder Cup performance.
Some think Rahm struggled to adapt to the LIV format, and some have argued that Rahm has jeopardised his chances of winning more majors by making the jump.
As Stoltz suggests, Rahm securing that first individual win could prove to be a really big moment in his LIV career, particularly after so many close calls over the last few months – and that may improve his chances of emerging with a medal from this week.
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