Jon Rahm withdraws from U.S. Open because of foot injury

PINEHURST, N.C. – Jon Rahm’s major season took another disappointing turn on Tuesday.

Hours after arriving at Pinehurst wearing one flip-flop because of a painful foot injury, Rahm decided to withdraw from the U.S. Open.

When he met with the media on Tuesday morning, Rahm said the condition was improving but that it was still a “concern” with the start of the year’s third major just a few days away.

“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 U.S. Open Championship,” he wrote on social media on Tuesday afternoon. “To say I’m disappointed is a massive understatement.”

Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, said he hoped to return to competition soon. LIV has another event next week in Nashville.

Rahm didn’t know how he suffered the cut between the pinky and ring toe on his left foot, but the issue grew into a lesion that had gotten infected. He said he received a pain-killing injection prior to the second round of LIV’s event last Saturday in Houston – a shot that was supposed to last the entirety of the day – but instead he was already in pain again after the second hole. Worried that he’d continue to make swing compensations, he withdrew a few holes later.

“The pain was high,” he said. “The infection was the worrisome part. The infection is now controlled, but there’s still swelling and there’s still pain.”

Rahm showed up at Pinehurst wearing a flip-flop on his left foot, an attempt to keep the area dry and try to heal as quickly as possible.

The early exit from the U.S. Open is yet another setback for Rahm, who tied for 45^th in his Masters title defense and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. The Spaniard’s play has been increasingly under the spotlight after his high-profile defection to LIV Golf late last year. He has yet to win on the rival circuit, and he has grown frustrated with the suggestion that his play has fallen off.

“It’s not like I’ve been playing bad, even though a lot of you make it sound like I’m playing bad. I had two bad weeks,” he said. “I’ve been top-10 and had a chance to win in most of the tournaments I’ve played, and then unfortunately Augusta and PGA weren’t my best showings. … It hasn’t been the best first half of the year, but there’s been many times where I haven’t had a great start, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great finish.”

Last year, Rahm had four worldwide wins, including the Masters. He also had top-10s at the U.S. Open and Open Championship. Unable to earn world-ranking points on LIV, he has dropped from No. 3 to No. 8 in the OWGR.

Jackson Suber was named as Rahm’s replacement in the U.S. Open field.