The Party’s Over: Major Champ Jon Rahm Returns at European Tour’s Scottish Open

Jon Rahm returns to competition this week at the Scottish Open for the first time since his life-changing victory at Torrey Pines.

The new world No. 1 has kept a low profile since his major breakthrough – other than a viral video that showed Rahm chug out of the U.S. Open trophy, smash a glow-in-the-dark ball into the night and then raise his arms in triumph.

Rahm told reporters Wednesday that the video was shot at Silverleaf, his home base while in Arizona.

“When you put a group of friends that have been together for a very long time, a club with very little rules to follow, and an owner of the club that is celebrating harder than anybody else, that’s what happens,” he said. “I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was to find the glow-in-the-dark balls. From there, it didn’t take too much to come up with something very stupid.

Full-field tee times from the abrdn Scottish Open

“It made for a lot of fun. At that stage of the night, I think anything would have been a good idea, really.”

After two weeks away, Rahm is back on the course and ready to gear up for the year’s final major. He has played Open venue Royal St. George’s once before, as a 14-year-old, when he landed a practice round there ahead of the British Boys (at Royal Cinque Ports next door). He said it was his first links golf experience, and he reached the top 16.

“I’ve had a lot of success in this area of the world, although so far I’ve only been able to win in Ireland,” Rahm said. “There’s not many players that can say they have won the Irish Open, Scottish Open and The Open, right? That would be something incredible.

“Definitely I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to win it. I’m excited to play and hopefully I can give myself a chance.”

Rahm will tee off at 8 a.m. ET Thursday at the Renaissance Club alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.