Jon Rahm has suggested why he is not entirely surprised to see Bryson DeChambeau perform so well this week following his US Open victory at Pinehurst.
Bryson DeChambeau was the man everyone was talking about at the start of this week, with the American triumphing in a remarkable battle with Rory McIlroy over the final 18 holes in North Carolina, with DeChambeau producing arguably the shot of his life to set up the par that won him his second major title.
The 30-year-old has seemingly been everywhere in the days since, with everyone wanting to speak to the man who has arguably become one of the most popular players in the game over the last couple of years.
Despite that, DeChambeau has not done a Robert MacIntyre – who withdrew from The Memorial to properly celebrate his Canadian Open victory – and is playing this week at LIV Golf Nashville.
Jon Rahm not surprised by Bryson DeChambeau performance at LIV Golf Nashville
And heading into the final round, DeChambeau is very much in contention, four shots back of leader Tyrrell Hatton.
Jon Rahm is also four behind his Legion XIII teammate, and speaking in his press conference after his round, he was asked how well DeChambeau is doing considering the drama of his US Open victory.
“Yeah, I’m impressed, especially taking into account that he did the whole New York news show. I didn’t do that, and playing the week after in Hilton Head was quite difficult and tiring. I remember we saw Scottie win the week afterwards there,” he said.
“Bryson seems to be a guy that naturally has a lot of energy, so I would never question him being able to perform, but I think it becomes more a mental thing, can you focus on still playing good golf even though you’ve accomplished something incredible. I think he’s in good enough shape physically that he can handle it, it’s just being able to do it mentally.
“I actually mentioned that during the round, I think that one of the things that is never really talked about enough about players, like Tiger or Jack, is the fact that they were able to win multiple majors in a season consistently. And I don’t think most people understand how demanding that is mentally, just to get that done, the media obligations you have to do, and other wins amongst those things. So it’s definitely impressive to see what some of the other players have been able to do.”
The biggest winner from move to LIV Golf
DeChambeau himself suggested that the LIV format has a lot to do with the improvement that he has made in the last couple of years, as he has much more time off to work on his game.
But it also allows players to get plenty of rest in before big events. While the PGA Tour calendar was stacked leading into the US Open, LIV had quite the break before their event in Houston.
Some players do not appear to have benefitted on the course from the move, with Rahm himself yet to impress in the majors since his switch. The likes of Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith have not added to their tallies of major wins since joining.
DeChambeau appears to be relishing the position he now finds himself in where his golf puts him amongst the very best on the planet, and thus, he wants to make the most of this form while it lasts.
He will also be aware that another lengthy break on the LIV schedule is now just one round away.
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