For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the WM Phoenix Open.

1. LIV ratings

Tim Schmitt for Golfweek…”…despite the impressive leaderboard, the cancellation of the final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and no NFL playoffs on the schedule, LIV Golf’s event still drew a rating well below that of the PGA Tour, according to Sports TV Ratings.”

• “Although the head-to-head numbers on Saturday were strongly in favor of the PGA Tour (168K to 1.91M), the Sunday number for LIV Golf did show a significant year-over-year improvement.”

• “LIV’s first event in 2023 received 291K viewers on Sunday, according to Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal. The 2023 Honda Classic, on the other hand, reeled in 2.38 million.”

• “The numbers do not include streaming, which is available on LIV Golf Plus as well as via a pay-per-view YouTube option.”

2. JT: PGA Tour can’t take LIV pros back easily

Josh Weinfuss for ESPN…”Justin Thomas doesn’t believe PGA Tour golfers who defected to the LIV Golf League should be allowed to easily return to the PGA Tour.”

• His comments came a week after Rory McIlroy said the opposite, that PGA Tour golfers who joined LIV should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour because “it’s hard to punish people.”

• “I would say that there’s a handful of players on LIV that would make the tour a better place, but I’m definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily,” Thomas said Tuesday, two days before the WM Phoenix Open kicks off at the TPC Scottsdale.

• “I think there’s a lot of us that made sacrifices and were very — whether it’s true to our word or what we believe in or just didn’t make that decision, and I totally understand that things are changing and things are getting better, but it just would — I would have a hard time with it, and I think a lot of guys would have a hard time with it, and I’m sure we don’t need to convince you why we would have a hard time with it.”

3. McIlroy to defend Scottish Open

ESPN report…”Rory McIlroy confirmed he will defend his Scottish Open title at The Renaissance Club from July 11-14 ahead of The 152nd Open the following week.”

• “McIlroy, 34, birdied the final two holes last year to edge Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre by a shot and claim his first Scottish Open title. That also made him the first player to win the Scottish Open, Irish Open and The Open.”

• “It was special to win the Genesis Scottish Open for the first time last season,” McIlroy said. “Winning a national open is always notable, and to do it in the home of golf, with such great support from the Scottish fans, made it a memorable week.”

4. Rahm still eyeing PGA Tour comeback

ESPN Report…”Jon Rahm on Tuesday lamented missing out on recent PGA Tour events at Torrey Pines and Palm Springs, but he is hopeful that he can compete in those events down the road and doesn’t regret his decision to jump to the LIV Golf League.”

• “I’m hoping that in the near future I can be back playing some of those events,” Rahm told reporters Tuesday at Las Vegas Country Club, the site of this week’s LIV Golf event. “I would certainly love to go back and play some of them.

5. Interpret Tiger’s tweet

6. Rahm ’emotional’ to miss West Coast events

Elvin Priest for GolfDigest…”The 29-year-old’s affinity for the West Coast Swing comes from the fact he played college golf at Arizona State, captured his first PGA Tour title (2017 Farmers) and first major (2021 U.S. Open) at Torrey Pines, proposed to wife Kelley in the La Jolla area of San Diego and won the American Express twice (2018, 2023).”

• “I’ve explained so many times how important Torrey is for me,” Rahm said. “Driving by [TPC Scottsdale, near where Rahm lives] as often as I had to and knowing that I wasn’t going to play there, it’s definitely emotional. That’s one of the things that I’m going to miss.

• “I’m hoping in the near future I can be back playing some of those events. I would certainly love to go back and play some of them.”

7. WMPO photos

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Greenest Show on Grass AKA the biggest party on the PGA Tour — the WM Phoenix Open.

• General galleries, abundant WITBs, and, of course, limited-edition WMPO-inspired swag are all assembled for your viewing pleasure below.

8. Who our betting expert likes this week

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Justin Thomas +1400 (DraftKings)…Justin Thomas has been on fire to kick off his 2024 season. He finished 3rd at the American Express and put another great week together at Pebble Beach, finishing in a tie for 6th. Now he will be heading to a course that he absolutely loves in search of his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship.

• Thomas has played some great golf at TPC Scottsdale. He finished 4th at the course last year and 8th in 2022, gaining 7.1 strokes on approach, which was second in the field behind only Bubba Watson. Additionally, Thomas has third place finishes in both 2019 and 2020 as well as a 13th place finish in 2021.

• The Waste Management Phoenix Open is an event I’ve always thought Justin Thomas was destined to win. As we’ve seen at both the Ryder Cup and the President’s Cup, “JT” is a player who thrives off of energy from the crowd, and he’ll certainly get his fair share of that this week in Scottsdale.

9. Donald: No judgment of Rahm or Hatton

Ronan MacNamara for Irish Golfer…”Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald says nobody from Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team last year is judging Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton for joining LIV Golf this season.”

• “Last week, Hatton became the latest. high-profile name to move to the Saudi backed tour alongside record signing Rahm and DP World Tour player of the year, Adrian Meronk.

• “We still have a group WhatsApp chat, and we’re all participating in that chat that we created for Rome,” explained Donald ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

• “There’s nothing adverse or anything within that chat. Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for themselves, and I don’t think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon’s decision.