CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jon Rahm is aware of the chatter, and doesn’t shy away from the topic. If he finds it tiresome, it would be understandable if not necessarily apparent.
Since stunningly signing on with the LIV Golf League following his Masters-winning 2023 season, he’s barely been a factor in the major championships.
His Masters defense last year was poor and he missed the cut at the PGA and then didn’t play in the U.S. Open due to a foot infection. His tie for seventh at the British Open last year saw him only on the fringe of contention and eight shots back of winner Xander Schauffele.
And he wasn’t exactly breathing down Rory McIlroy’s neck on the final day last month at the Masters, where he tied for 14th.
So the two-time major champion found it at least satisfying Saturday to find himself where he always expected to be: in contention for a major championship, again.
“Me going to LIV and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with where I was playing golf,” Rahm said after a third-round 67 at Quail Hollow that has him five shots back of Scottie Scheffler. “My swing was simply not at the level it had to be for me to compete. It’s easier to post a score on non-major championship courses and venues, and I think when you get to the biggest stages like this one and these courses, those flaws are going to get exposed, and it did.
“There's been weeks where I was able to play better, like the Open last year. The Masters obviously wasn’t a good start, but it got better as the week was on, and I’m still working and trying to get my swing to a better spot.
“But I would say even 2023, after winning the Masters, I did not play good at all until the Ryder Cup, right. So I think the problems began earlier than people think. But I’m now getting closer to a position of being comfortable. I think this week so far and this round has been a show of it.”
It’s true that after winning the Masters in 2023 for his fourth victory of the year, he did not win again. He tied for second at the Open won by Brian Harman but finished six strokes back.
In fact, he didn’t win again until late July of last year when he won LIV’s United Kingdom event the week after the Open. He then lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka at the Greenbrier before winning the season-ending individual tournament in Chicago.
This year, Rahm has not won, but he’s never been out of the top 10 on LIV Golf—same as last year. And his Masters performance was far better than the tie for 45th in his title defense a year ago.
Rahm gave himself at least a chance to win a third different major with a 67 that saw him make seven birdies including three in a row on the back nine. He had four bogeys. He’s second in the tournament in strokes gained off the tee and 14th tee to green.
He’s got six players ahead of him and might need some help from Scheffler if he is going to get a PGA victory.
“Hard to express how hungry I may be for a major, about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation,” he said. “Very happy to be in position again. Don't know where I’ll be ... this golf course is tricky and one shot is nothing on 18 holes.
“Very happy with the state of my game. I think today was the round that I knew I was capable of. Those first two rounds felt very confident, and just did everything a little bit better. So just very excited again to be in this position and looking forward to hopefully having a good Sunday tomorrow.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘I’m Now Getting Closer’: Jon Rahm Having Best Major Showing Since Joining LIV Golf.