Jon Rahm, a star player for LIV Golf, revealed his struggles after missing the cut at the PGA Championship, marking the first time in his 19 major start failures to reach the weekend.
The “downfall” in Jon Rahm’s game that caused him to miss the cut at this week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club has been made public. For the first time in his 19 major starts, Rahm missed the 36-hole cut on Friday in Kentucky; his last miss occurred at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.
The Spaniard was participating in his second major tournament since switching to LIV Golf in December of last year. During his title defense, he tied for 45th at the Masters last month. Even though Rahm wasn’t playing at his brilliant best in Augusta, this week proved to be even more challenging.
The two-time major champion shot level-par in his first two rounds, but the Legion XIII captain’s one-shot miss of the cutline prevented him from earning a spot in Kentucky this weekend.
He later admitted that his poor accuracy off the tee was what really cost him. “I’m shocked because, especially in the week before I came here, I felt like I was playing really well in Australia, Singapore, and the off-tee, and that’s what’s been my downfall.
“Off the tee, I just couldn’t find a fairway. It’s a difficult golf course to score on off the rough, even though you can make birdies off the fairway, which is sort of what happened to me. Rahm’s week began horribly on Thursday when he found himself four over par after his first six holes. Rahm is the 2023 Masters champion.
He soon mounted a comeback, though, as he finished the day at one-under after making six birdies. Though he signed for a one-over 72 on Friday, he was unable to improve on this, which made his missed cut all the more frustrating because he needed a birdie on his final four holes.
Rahm remarked, “I was just hoping to get one more and clear myself.” “You kind of need the extra motivation when you’re not playing well. Even though the swing wasn’t quite there, I was still thinking about it and felt at ease with the putter.
“After making par on the sixth hole, I was just pleading with myself to give myself some sort of chance, and I could never give myself anything on the last three holes.” It was perhaps twenty-five, twenty-five, and sixty feet. Following his brief performance on the U.S. PGA, the Spanish star will now take a break from competition.
On June 7, he and the other LIV stars will travel to Houston and return to the Saudi-sponsored circuit. After that, it will be all business for the former world No. 1, as he prepares for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, which he won back in 2021, which is the third major championship of the year.
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