Jon Rahm would be forgiven for feeling extremely disappointed with his eighth place finish at the PGA Championship, with the Spaniard pushing Scottie Scheffler harder than anyone on Sunday at Quail Hollow.
It was a decent, yet uninspired, start for Jon Rahm at Quail Hollow. With many of the big guns taking some time to get going, the 30-year-old definitely seemed to be in contention after reaching the halfway stage at two under par.
His best round of the week on Saturday put him five shots off the lead with 18 holes to play. The problem was that the man at the top of the leaderboard by that stage was Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler certainly did his best to open the door for his rivals, and no-one made more of a push than Rahm. The pair were tied for the lead as the world number one made the turn.
What Johnson Wagner spotted about Jon Rahm at the PGA Championship
Of course, Scheffler was able to win from there. Rahm meanwhile, played the final three holes in five over par as he tried desperately to make one final push.
It was the first time since the 2023 Masters in which Rahm has appeared to be in genuine contention on Sunday to win a major. And speaking on 5 Clubs, Johnson Wagner suggested that he saw a hunger in Rahm which he has lacked for a little while.
“I think one of the coolest moments on Sunday was Jon Rahm was putting for birdie on 12 and Scottie Scheffler’s putting for birdie at the same time on 10. Those greens are only 60 yards away from there. While Jon Rahm’s ball’s rolling towards the hole on the CBS coverage, you could hear a roar from over on 10 and that was such a defining moment,” he said.
“Jon then knows what’s going on, knows he’s running out of holes. And I think the putt was 13 was great, but not getting it up and down on 14 and 15 put himself in that position to have to go force on the Green Mile. It just jumped and bit him on 17. Bryson hit a beautiful shot on 17, right of the green, you just can’t have a ball coming down at that flag, his came down just left of it.
“But I’m with you, such a positive week. He had a look in his eye on Saturday and Sunday that I hadn’t seen since he went to LIV. We had talked about him starting off really poorly on Thursday and Friday, the fact that he made the cut at Augusta this year I thought was great. And to put himself in the hunt again [at Quail Hollow], I think Oakmont, which he was low amateur at the last US Open, it was his last amateur event he ever played, I think Oakmont’s going to be a place where he can go get it.”
A much-needed turning point for Jon Rahm following his move to LIV Golf
There must be a part of Rahm which has considered whether playing on LIV Golf has been right for him. It would only be natural if that was the case.
He has been outstanding on LIV, finishing in the top 10 in every single event he has played in the league. But that form has not yet translated into the majors. His only other top 10 in the majors since the start of 2024 came when he played superbly on Sunday at The Open Championship.
There have been reports that Rahm regrets his decision to join LIV. Those reports have come to nothing, but one of the reasons Rahm initially stayed loyal to the PGA Tour was his respect for the history of the game. Clearly, that legacy is important to him.
He will not want to do anything which jeopardises his chances of winning majors. And whether it is the case or not, it is hard to argue with those who believe that moving to LIV has done Rahm few favours on the course.
Perhaps the PGA Championship could therefore, prove to be a turning point.
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