Smylie Kaufman says what he thinks Jon Rahm is ‘very bothered’ by ahead of The Masters and disagrees with one claim he made

Add as preferred source on Google

Smylie Kaufman was intrigued by two things Jon Rahm said in his pre-Masters press conference.

Only Rory McIlroy definitively has more pressure on him than Rahm at Augusta National this week.

The Spaniard somewhat carries the flag for LIV Golf as the best player on the tour, and he needs to bounce back from a disappointing major championship season in 2024.

That probably explains why he didn’t seem totally comfortable with the media before the tournament, as Kaufman picked up on.

• READ MORE: Jon Rahm blown away by Masters debutant who has a ‘190mph ball speed when he rolls out of bed in the morning’

Smylie Kaufman disagrees with Jon Rahm’s latest comments before The Masters

The best players are all judged on their performances in the majors, especially those on LIV whom most golf fans don’t watch regularly.

For this reason, Kaufman doesn’t think it’s unfair at all that Rahm was criticised for performing badly at The Masters and the PGA Championship last year.

The former PGA Tour player also said that Rahm seemed “very bothered” by something in his press conference.

“He really would say that he feels like he was judged unfairly on the major season last year,” Kaufman explained. “I tend to disagree. That was the one thing we were always going to judge him on. Does the LIV Golf tour prepare you to play in majors?

“I thought the most interesting question that was asked today to Jon Rahm was, ‘Do you know where you rank in the Official World Golf Rankings?’ He was like, ‘Have I dropped out of the top 100 yet?’

“You could tell he was very bothered by not being relevant. Relevant in the fact that people don’t talk to him in the same vein that people talk to Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. We just don’t talk about Jon Rahm, and I think it bothers him. I really do.”

Smylie Kaufman explains why Jon Rahm will play well at The Masters

Despite Kaufman’s aforementioned comments, he still thinks Rahm will play well at Augusta this week.

He called the 2023 Masters champion a “top-five talent” and added that LIV Golf’s recent event in Miami gives their contingent an advantage over the PGA Tour players.

“I think he’s looking to make a statement this week. He considers himself a top 10 player in the world. He said it today. You can’t disagree with that. I think he’s a top five talent in the world. Will we see him have a really good major season? I think we will.

“I think Doral (LIV Golf Miami), being the week before Augusta National, is going to bode well for the LIV guys this year. That’s a very difficult golf course. They don’t typically play very difficult courses and I really feel like the LIV guys will have decent weeks because that’s a PGA Tour-proven, very difficult golf course that I think prepares you for Augusta.”