Rahm said he consulted with multiple doctors, who advised it would be best to not fight through the pain
Jon Rahm made the decision to withdraw from the field at the 2024 U.S. Open this week in Pinehurst, North Carolina due to an infected sore on his left foot.
After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long term health, to withdraw from this weeks [sic] US Open Championship," Rahm said in a statement on social media. "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!
Rahm spoke with reporters on Tuesday, where he was left a golf shoe on his right foot and a flip-flop on his left foot that had a toe separator in it. Rahm explained that he had an infection, which caused him to withdraw from LIV Golf’s event in Houston last week as well.
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Captain Jon Rahm, of Legion XIII GC, hits from the sixth tee during the final round of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Doral, Fla. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP)
Despite ESPN reporting that Rahm is going through an antibiotic treatment to heal the infection, he is in too much pain to compete in the year’s third major.
"Could I have dragged myself out there and posted some kind of a score? Yeah." Rahm said, via ESPN, of his withdrawal from the LIV Golf event last week. "But it was getting to a point where I wasn't making the swings I wanted to make, and I could have hurt other parts of my swing just because of the pain. As to right now [playing] this week, I don't know."
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The exact spot of the infection in between his pinkie toe and the next toe, and he isn’t exactly sure how an injury happened there leading to the infection. He noted getting a shot to ease the pain before playing Saturday’s round in Houston, though it clearly didn’t help him.
"The infection was the worrisome part," Rahm said, adding that he was supposed to feel numb throughout the round and that didn’t happen. "The infection is now controlled, but there’s still swelling and there’s still pain."
Rahm, the eighth-ranked golfer in the world, is a U.S. Open winner, having hoisted the trophy in 2021 at Torrey Pines, beating South African Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke.
Jon Rahm of Spain tees off on the 14th hole during Day Four of the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 19, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Last year, Rahm finished tied for 10th place after winning the 2023 Masters earlier. Rahm was still a part of the PGA Tour at that point, too, before moving to LIV Golf before the start of the 2024 campaign.
However, while he’s had tons of success on LIV, finishing in the top 10 in most events, Rahm has struggled in the two majors in 2024. He was tied-45th at the Masters this year, and he had a disastrous time at Valhalla Golf Club recently as he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. Rahm hadn’t been cut from a major since the 2019 PGA Championship.
Rahm acknowledged the slow start to his year thus far in terms of majors, but he was hoping to get back on track on the always-difficult Pinehurst No. 2 course.
Jon Rahm, of Spain, speaks during a news conference during the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
But his injury comes in untimely fashion, and he’ll have to wait for that next chance to come at The Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
