Top-ranked Jon Rahm back in California desert after 2-year break

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Jon Rahm is back in the California desert for The American Express after a two-year break. It feels as though the top-ranked Spaniard never left his Arizona home.

"I would say the demographic might be a little bit older here, but it pretty much is the Scottsdale of California," Rahm said Wednesday.

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After winning the 2018 tournament in a playoff and finishing sixth the following year, the burly former Arizona State player couldn’t fit the event into his schedule in 2020 and was unable to play last year because of a minor back injury.

"I’m happy to be back," Rahm said. "It’s a place I’ve been coming to for a very long time, played in college. ... So, I feel comfortable. I live in the desert."

Rahm opened the year two weeks ago in Hawaii by finishing at 33 under in a one-stroke loss to Cameron Smith in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

"It was a bit of a bittersweet feeling because you can’t help to feel good about the game and how good I played, but I still finished second," Rahm said.

He will open Thursday at La Quinta Country Club, playing alongside Tony Finau and two amateurs. They will play PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday and the adjacent Stadium Course on the weekend.

"If the wind doesn’t pick up, you know you’re going to have to go out there and post a score," Rahm said. "But we all know it, so it’s almost like a green light to be aggressive."

He'll head to the coast next week for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the site of his U.S. Open victory last summer and his first PGA Tour title in 2017. The San Diego venue has a home feel.

"That coastline reminds me