Jon Rahm takes LIV Golf by storm, Legion XIII dominates LIV Mayakoba opener

Jon Rahm and his Legion XIII team wasted no time earning their first LIV Golf tournament victory at Saudi tour’s season opener, LIV Mayakoba. They posted a 24-under score as a team to beat Bryson DeChambeau’s Crusher GC by four shots.

Rahm finished the highest on the team as he recorded a solo third at 10-under.

He had a shot at winning the individual title but made back-to-back bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes took him out of it. 17 and 18 gave him fits all week, as he only made par or better on them in Round 2; Rahm also bogeyed both in the opening round Friday.

The Spaniard’s poor finish dropped him out of what would have been a three-man playoff, leaving it to Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia. It took four playoff holes, but Niemann made a birdie to win the first 2024 LIV Golf tournament.

Rahm dropped multiple F-bombs caught by hot mic’s this week, showing his passion for the game. He seems to be taking the captain’s role seriously, and despite it being the first event of the year, it meant a lot to him.

The second-best score from Legion XIII was Tyrrell Hatton. In his first LIV Golf event, the Englishman tied for 8th with Louis Oosthuizen and Cam Smith at 7-under.

Caleb Surratt, the third member of Legion XIII, made his professional golf debut this week. At 19 years old, the former Tennessee Volunteer decided to go pro and join the Saudi-backed league. It paid off in his first start as he and Sebastian Munoz tied for 13th at 5-under.

The kid will take home roughly $350,000 for that finish and another $3 million split among his teammates. That paycheck isn’t a bad start to a professional career.

Kieran Vincent, the fourth member of the 13th LIV Golf team, finished T38. He didn’t have as strong of a week as his three teammates.

In their first event, Legion XIII made quite a statement showing that the Saudi-backed league grew a little stronger. It’s pretty stiff competition when guys like Garcia, Niemann, Rahm, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka are in the top 5.

Rahm may not have taken home the individual title in his LIV Golf debut, but he gave it a strong showing.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.