Golf Channel writer Ryan Lavner believes that there is one piece missing to complete the brilliance on display from Scottie Scheffler – and Jon Rahm may be the man responsible for that.
Scottie Scheffler became the first person since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times on the PGA Tour before the end of June when he secured victory at the Travelers Championship over the weekend.
It was a return to form for the 27-year-old, who had played extremely poorly, by his standards, at the US Open at Pinehurst.
The latest victory actually leaves Scheffler on more FedEx Cup points than both Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy combined – and the latter two are ranked second and third right now.
Scheffler seems to constantly notch up these achievements which have not been seen since the likes of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. There is surely no question that he is the best player on the planet right now.
Why Jon Rahm leaving PGA Tour may be impacting Scottie Scheffler
There is also no doubt that Scheffler is producing greatness right now, particularly in an era when there are so many outstanding players. However, perhaps there is one thing which is lacking from this amazing run.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Lavner suggested that Scheffler is missing the Phil Mickelson to his Tiger Woods – largely due to Jon Rahm deciding to join LIV Golf ahead of this season.
“That, to me, is what’s been lacking over the past two years, and the bummer, Rex, the disappointment is that I think a lot of people, myself included, thought Jon Rahm could be that guy,” he said.
“If you saw the back and forth between Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, at least in the first six months of the 2023 season, in which they combined for six total wins, including a major, including the Players, including what are now several signature events, that seemed to be the two players who could go head to head for the next half a decade, and golf fans would pick a side, it would be great golf, two competitors who are fiercely competitive but also have a mutual respect for one another’s game, that, to me, is the piece that’s missing.
“That’s not to take anything away from Scottie, but I think that can even elevate his greatness a little bit more, just as it did with Tiger’s heyday.”
Spaniard yet to be vindicated for LIV move
Rahm had won four times in 2023, with The Masters proving to be his final victory of the year, so he may well have been the player best placed to rival Scheffler this year.
The Spaniard’s move to LIV threatened to move the needle given that he was holder of a major title and the talisman of Europe’s Ryder Cup win. But surprisingly, he is yet to win an individual title since moving to the breakaway tour.
His Legion XIII side have won a couple of team titles, but Rahm is yet to get across the line on his own.
Perhaps his form would have been exactly the same on the PGA Tour, but many would have surely expecting him to be a winner this year, and that simply has not happened.
Scheffler meanwhile, probably deserves credit for appearing to be on another level to the likes of McIlroy and Schauffele, who are both major champions.
But it would definitely be fascinating to know what Rahm would have done up against this machine this season.
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