While a quick glance at the leaderboard would suggest otherwise, it was Jon Rahm who put Scottie Scheffler under the most pressure on Sunday at the PGA Championship, with the pair tied at one stage during the final round at Quail Hollow.
Jon Rahm emerged from the chasing pack on Sunday to move into a tie for the lead. The Spaniard made birdies on eight, 10 and 11 to go to three under par for the day.
It appeared to be a remarkable turnaround with Scottie Scheffler having a sizeable lead just a few holes earlier. But the world number one did not look to be anywhere near his best at the halfway stage at Quail Hollow.
Ultimately, Scheffler got his act together on the back nine. Rahm meanwhile, saw his challenge fall apart over the final three holes.
Brandel Chamblee suggests the problem Jon Rahm needs to address after the PGA Championship
Admittedly, the 30-year-old had to take chances to have any hope of securing his own third major title. But two double bogeys and one bogey in the final three holes saw him finish tied for eighth.
It is only Rahm’s second top 10 at a major since the start of 2024. And it seems that Brandel Chamblee believes that he has an important issue that he needs to address when it comes to his swing.
Speaking on Golf Channel, Chamblee noted that Rahm is having problems dealing with some of the pressure.
“I did not think that he was the man to beat because there were three very difficult holes that came up. All of them had left hole locations, Jon Rahm is a fader. Jon Rahm has been double-crossing himself for the better part of two, three years,” he said.
“He even alluded to it earlier and if you remember just the last time he went head to head with Scottie Scheffler was at the Olympics, Jon Rahm faded, Scottie Scheffler ran away. So if you remember yesterday coming down the stretch because Jon Rahm has one of the shortest and quickest golf swings I’ve ever seen, I know he’s one hell of a player, but it gets shorter and quicker in the heat of major championship battle. Think about the shot that he hit yesterday at the 17th hole, think about the shot that he hit on 16 today, think about the shot that he hit on 17 today. These are all double crosses, that’s the problem that he’s been having.
“Look, he’s one hell of a player, there’s no doubt about it, but that short, quick swing tends to get quicker and he’s been double-crossing himself.”
Jon Rahm definitely moving in the right direction after his display at Quail Hollow
In fairness to Rahm, his worst result in his last three majors is a tie for 14th. He is starting to put together a very impressive run of results in the four biggest events of the year. And he will certainly be someone to watch out for at Oakmont next month.
However, there is perhaps too large a gap between the pressure of trying to win on LIV Golf and trying to win in a major. He has two victories since making the jump from the PGA Tour.
As Chamblee noted, his collapse on Sunday at the Olympics was almost baffling, with the gold medal all but within his grasp. And Sunday marked the first time since his move to LIV in 2024 where he has appeared to be in genuine contention to win a major.
Rahm, however, does appear to be fuelled by the criticism he has received. So it would be no surprise if his entire focus was now on the US Open, and proving a point.
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