CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA | At the end, as he stood in the soft afternoon sunshine and reflected on his performance in the year’s second major championship, Jon Rahm could only describe his feelings as mixed. He knew he had played better than any time since he joined the LIV Golf league in December 2023 and gone some way towards reassuring those worried about his form as September’s Ryder Cup approaches.
But he also knew that in that last round at the picturesquely named Quail Hollow Club he had played 14 holes without a bogey and was 9-under par and level with Scottie Scheffler, the overnight leader and eventual winner, but that from that point on his path to the 72nd hole varied dramatically from Scheffler’s. As Scheffler pulled away to win comfortably, Rahm caved in. He didn’t birdie the 15th, the last par-5, and then collapsed, dropping five strokes in the three holes that make up the infamous Green Mile. That collapse was going to take some time for him to process.
It meant he was tied eighth and only joint second-best of the LIV competitors, level with Joaquin Niemann on 4-under par and two behind Bryson DeChambeau, who finished tied second. And it was a fierce reminder that Rahm was some way from being the frightening competitor he had once been, one with the heart and the build of a bull, when he won two major championships before he was 29 and was bold, brave and big hitting. The fissures in his game that had been present even before he left for LIV Golf widened considerably when the pressure was at its greatest over the closing holes at Quail Hollow. He had been found out.
“It is hard to express how hungry I may be for a major. [I am] about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation.”
Jon Rahm
Nonetheless, his overriding feeling was that he had made considerable progress towards regaining his old form during this week in North Carolina.
“It was really close,” Rahm said. “God, it’s been a while since I had that much fun on a golf course, 15 holes. Even the first seven holes today when I was swinging well and things weren’t happening, but I kept myself in and made the pars that I needed and played really good golf from the eighth to the 15th.” Then he paused as he contemplated what he did over the next three holes, a bogey after a drive too far to the left, a double bogey after hitting into the water guarding the green and another double bogey after finding water yet again on the 18th. “Yeah, the last three holes, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now.”
We knew that Rahm was on the road back on Saturday when he walked onto the first tee wearing garish trousers. Were they cerise, magenta, mauve, purple, off lilac? It hardly matters. A man with the confidence to wear such colours is comfortable that his golf is worthy of inspection. And Rahm was. A few hours later after a stunning 67, we knew he was right.
“I think today was the round that I knew I was capable of,” he said afterward. He looked happier than he had for some time. This was the Rahm we hadn’t seen for a while. This was more like the man who has assumed such importance for Europe in the Ryder Cup.
“It is hard to express how hungry I may be for a major [championship],” Rahm said on Saturday. “[I am] about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation.”
He wanted to dispel the notion that joining LIV Golf had made his golf lose its edge. “Me going to LIV and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with where I was playing golf,” he said. “My swing was simply not at the level [then] it had to be for me to compete. I would say even 2023, after winning the Masters, I did not play good at all until the Ryder Cup.
“So I think the problems began earlier than people think.
“I’m still working and trying to get my swing to a better spot. But I’m now getting closer to a position of being comfortable now.”
That in turn brought a smile to the face of those supporting Europe in the Ryder Cup in September. Rahm is needed to be both a strong player and a team leader to help Europe’s chances. His form on the LIV Golf circuit this year where his best finish was second in the first tournament has been rather like the late Queen’s health, a matter of considerable concern.
He was even asked repeatedly early last week whether Luke Donald, the Europe captain, had given him an assurance of a place in the team at Bethpage Black. “Ask Luke Donald,” Rahm replied, three times in all. Donald later said he had not given Rahm any such assurance and nor would he. “It’s too far out,” he said. “Too much can happen in the meantime.
“The media may be saying that Jon is not playing very well but we know from his stats that he is comfortably among the 12 best players in Europe.”
Rahm’s weakness is that he can be erratic with his driver. On Sunday he saved himself time and again with his putter, taking only 13 putts in his first 11 holes. His drives on the third, fifth and seventh were not vintage and it was a poor drive on the 16th that started his troubles. It was followed by another poor one on the 18th and an over-ambitious shot at the flag on the 17th that contributed to his collapse on the Green Mile.
“Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today?” Rahm asked rhetorically. “Yeah. But I just need to get over it, get over myself. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not like I’m a doctor or a first responder, where somebody if they have a bad day, truly bad things happen. I’ll get over it. I’ll move on. Again, there’s a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I’m really happy I put myself in position and hopefully learn from this and give it another go in the U.S. Open.”
E-MAIL JOHN
Top: After fighting all the back to grab a share of the lead, Jon Rahm's rough finish leaves him tied eighth.
Scott Taetsch, PGA of America via Getty Images