Sawt Falasteen - Rahm worries LIV jump will keep him from 2025 Ryder Cup

The reigning Masters champion spoke Tuesday ahead of defending his crown at Augusta National, giving insight into his move to the Saudi-backed series last December that reportedly was worth $350 million.

"It's a bit of a detour on my path," Rahm said. "But change can be better."

Rahm said he hoped switching to LIV would help complete merger talks that began with a framework agreement last June between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), but those negotiations burned past a December deadline and remain deadlocked.

"I understood my position," Rahm said. "It could be, what I hoped, a step towards more of an expedited agreement. But, unfortunately, it's not up to me.

"I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself."

It came, however, at a cost. It could mean Rahm, who helped Europe capture the Ryder Cup in Rome last year, won't be able to play in the 2025 event at Bethpage.

"Am I concerned? Yeah, I hope I can be there," Rahm said. "I hope I play well enough to earn my way there. And if I have to be picked, I hope I can get picked.

"I want to be there. That's definitely something I want to do and I don't want to miss."

Third-ranked Rahm admits missing being unable to play at some PGA venues and against old rivals.

"There are some venues I miss not being at," Rahm said. "Not being at Palm Springs, Torrey, Phoenix and L.A. wasn't the easiest. Those are venues I absolutely love.

"I still love the PGA Tour and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again."

That would require a merger and a way back for those who jilted the PGA.

"There are a lot of people a lot smarter than me that could figure this out," Rahm said.

The 29-year-old Spaniard says it takes the same skill and passion to win on LIV as it does on the PGA, although Rahm has yet to win a LIV event.

"The competition is still there," Rahm said. "Yeah, they're smaller fields, but you still have to beat some of the best players in the world and you still have to play at the same level you have to play on the PGA Tour to win those events, so that doesn't change."

- 'The pressure is there' -

LIV tournaments are 54 holes, use shotgun starts and feature a team element that Rahm said he enjoys.

"I understand there's less people. I understand the team format is a little different. I understand we're going shotgun and things are a little bit different to how they are in a PGA Tour event," Rahm said.

"But the pressure is there. I want to win as bad as I wanted to win before I moved on to LIV.

"Going down the stretch when you're in contention is the exact same feelings. That really doesn't change. Winning is winning and that's what matters."

He hasn't played as many rounds as prior seasons heading into the Masters, but does not expect that to pose a problem to his title bid.

"You're saying playing a little bit less is a bad thing, which I wouldn't think it is," Rahm said.

"Based on how I feel on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year.

"But then once competition starts, it doesn't really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You got to go out there and post a score."

J.Saleh--SF-PST