Former World No. 1 Jon Rahm Withdraws From U.S. Open With Injury
The 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm has withdrawn from this year’s tournament at Pinehurst, because of a toe injury.
Rahm confirmed the withdrawal in a social media post Tuesday afternoon, saying he was disappointed.
“After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health, to withdraw from this week’s US Open Championship. 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 was walking around Pinehurst with one shoe on his good foot, and a flip-flop on his injured one (seen below). And during his earlier news conference, he seemed hopeful about playing.
“Man, as a golfer, this is definitely a bucket list golf course to come and play, whether it’s a major championship or not,” Rahm said. “To see images from what it looked like in 2005 and then what Crenshaw and his partners did on the redo in 2014 is quite incredible.”
Rahm said the infection has been an issue for a little bit, and has been frustrating.
“I don’t know how or what happened, but it got infected,” he said. “The pain was high. On the Saturday round, Saturday morning, I did get a shot to numb the area. It was supposed to last the whole round, and by my second hole I was in pain already. 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.”
Rahm’s withdrawal opened up a spot for alternate Jackson Suber, who will now be part of the 156 player field.
“Suber, who will compete in his first U.S. Open, has recorded two top-10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour this season,” the USGA said in a release. “He became the 11th player in the University of Mississippi history to earn All-America recognition in 2021-22.”
