Jon Rahm's chance at a third major championship will have to wait.
The Spaniard, 29, announced Tuesday that he is withdrawing from the U.S. Open that is slated to start Thursday:
Jon Rahm Rodriguez @JonRahmOfficialAfter consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long term health, to withdraw from this weeks 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…
ESPN's Marty Smith reported the decision was due to an infection between two of the toes on his left foot.
"I'm told the infection is healing with antibiotic treatment, but Rahm remains in pain and does not want to compete in a tournament in which he does not believe he is physically capable of winning," Smith wrote.
For his part, Rahm said, "to say I'm disappointed is a massive understatement … Hopefully I'll be back in action sooner than later."
Since Rahm's decision to join LIV, the four majors are his only opportunity to compete against all of the world's best golfers in one location. Thus far, he has disappointed this year with a tie for 45th place in the Masters and a missed cut at the PGA Championship.
The U.S. Open was an opportunity for some redemption on one of golf's biggest stages, but the injury will prevent him from taking the course.
He discussed the infection on Tuesday prior to withdrawing during a press conference that saw him arrive with a golf shoe on his right foot and a flip-flop on his left foot that featured a toe separator.
"Could I have dragged myself out there and posted some kind of a score? Yeah," Rahm told reporters when talking about the decision to withdraw from last week's LIV Golf tournament in Houston with the same issue. "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."
It wasn't that long ago that Rahm was widely considered one of the best two or three golfers in the world.
He won four times on the PGA Tour during the 2022-23 season, including at the Masters. He also notched 10 top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at The Open Championship and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open.
Yet moving to LIV and his disappointing showings in the first two majors have taken him partly out of the spotlight, and he won't have the chance to challenge Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and others in this year's U.S. Open.
This year's next major isn't until July 18 at The Open Championship, so Rahm will at least have some time to heal before he pursues the third major title of his career.
