Rahm: Scheffler’s POY ‘well earned,’ though ‘hardware’ usually wins out

Does Jon Rahm think the voters got it wrong?

It sure seems so.

Rahm made a surprise appearance on the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday after he previously said he’d be laying low from public events and interviews until LIV’s season opener in early February. During the 10-minute segment, which was marred by technical issues and Rahm frequently cutting out, Rahm was asked about the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, which went to Scottie Scheffler for the second straight season.

Scheffler posted two wins, including The Players, among 17 top-10 finishes. He also had a historic ball-striking year, gaining nearly 0.7 strokes per round tee to green more than his closest competitor. Rahm ranked sixth in that stat, almost 1.3 strokes shy of Scheffler. However, he also won four times, including the Masters.

For Rahm, trophies, especially majors, are typically the distinguisher.

“Oh man, listen, Scottie had a fantastic year. Fantastic year. … I don’t want to take away anything from what he did, but historically, hardware is what’s won basically the player of the year,” Rahm said. “The year Patrick Cantlay won, I was basically the more consistent player, in 2021, had a major, I think I had 16 top-10s that year and I fully understood why Patrick won it. It’s just maybe this year because of his high level of ball-striking, [the voters] decided to go in a different direction, but at the end of the day, it’s well earned.”