While Scottie Scheffler appeared to be playing on a different golf course to anyone else, it was a big victory for LIV Golf that his two biggest challengers at the PGA Championship turned out to be Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.
Bryson DeChambeau seems to put himself in the mix every time he tees it up at the moment. The two-time US Open champion won in Korea, while the last event where he seemed to have no chance of winning came when LIV Golf was in Singapore.
It has been a remarkable run for the 31-year-old. He has contended at the last four events on LIV, while he was also in the lead at one stage on Sunday at The Masters.
Meanwhile, it was Jon Rahm who moved himself level with Scottie Scheffler during the final round at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Although Rahm fell away late on, it felt like an important moment for the Spaniard, who has not really been a factor in the majors since leaving the PGA Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm’s chances at the US Open assessed
It already feels like a lifetime ago, but DeChambeau is the defending champion at Oakmont this week. Few will ever forget that final day at Pinehurst when he snatched the US Open title from Rory McIlroy‘s grasp.
And given his record in the event, Rex Hoggard has told the Golf Channel Podcast that he would put DeChambeau above Rahm in his rankings of the players best-placed to win this week.
“It’s going to be Bryson simply because we’ve seen what he’s done when he’s gotten to these US Open venues. He did it at Winged Foot. To a different degree, he did it last year at Pinehurst. And I think when he did it at Winged Foot, I remember us having the conversation about is he reinventing the game because of the way he was able to just stand on the tee boxes and just launch it? I don’t know if he’ll be able to do that at Oakmont. My heart tells me no, probably not. Of all of the golf courses that can defend themselves against that particular onslaught, I would put Oakmont somewhere on that list, simply because of the test, how demanding it’s going to be,” he said.
“What we’ve seen out of Jon Rahm this year, certainly at the major championships, is much more encouraging than probably what we saw last year, when everything he was doing in the majors was being put under the microscope because of his decision to join LIV Golf. I think he’s a little more comfortable in that situation now, and certainly his game seems to be rounding into shape.”
The US Open careers of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau
It should not be overlooked that Rahm is also a former US Open champion, having won at Torrey Pines back in 2021.
And actually, when you look at their more recent records, it is Rahm who has performed more consistently in the US Open. His worst finish in his last five appearances is a tied for 23rd, while he has three top 10s in that time.
DeChambeau does have the two wins in his last five. However, his best result after that is a tied for 20th at LACC.
Both men did finish inside the top 25 when the US Open was previously at Oakmont in 2016, with Rahm ending up as the low amateur in 23rd. DeChambeau was tied for 15th – his best finish in a US Open which he has not won.
Ultimately, it would not be a shock to see either man become a three-time major champion in the coming days.
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