Mackenzie Hughes says he ‘hated’ what Jon Rahm did despite it helping him

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Mackenzie Hughes has admitted that he hated what Jon Rahm did in the last year, claiming that it was a real blow to golf.

It has been a surprisingly difficult year for Jon Rahm, with the Spaniard heading into 2023 as the defending Masters champion as well as the talisman of Europe’s Ryder Cup win in Rome.

Rahm however, finished tied for 45th at Augusta National earlier this year, while he did not make the cut at the PGA Championship at Valhalla last month. And he was forced to withdraw from US Open due to injury, despite travelling to Pinehurst.

It has certainly not been the year LIV Golf would have hoped for when they made Rahm their marquee signing over the winter, with the 29-year-old becoming the captain of Legion XIII on the breakaway tour.

Mackenzie Hughes hated what Jon Rahm did earlier this season

Legion XIII won the team event on their debut in Mayakoba, but Rahm has not won an individual title on LIV this year.

Mackenzie Hughes was actually the player who got into this year’s signature events on the PGA Tour because of Rahm’s departure, but speaking on The Smylie Show, the Canadian insisted that he was not at all happy about the defection.

“It’s funny, I hated that for golf, I really did. I’m not just saying that, but I think that him going there sucked because it was another blow to the tour and to golf,” he said.

“That was obviously a huge bonus for me [qualifying for the signature events because of Rahm’s departure], but I think it was bittersweet because the tour is worse off without Jon Rahm and the game continues to suffer when you have things like this happen, but yeah, I did get a little carrot thrown in there for me.”

Move not the game-changer LIV Golf hoped it would be

It really felt like Rahm’s move was going to be a turning point in golf’s civil war, with the Spaniard arguably the best player on the planet at the time he decided to join LIV.

His move prompted Rory McIlroy to insist that the rules concerning qualifying for the Ryder Cup need to be changed to ensure that Rahm is at Bethpage Black. And it seemed that LIV had put themselves in such a strong position in talks as the game looked to come back together.

Rahm is too good to be out of contention in the biggest events for too long, but the PGA Tour has certainly not fallen apart since losing him.

And his move has probably not been the game-changer LIV hoped that it would be, so far.