Rahm responds to Koepka LIV Golf theory at PGA | Golf News

Jon Rahm fired his best spherical in a main since becoming a member of the LIV Golf ranks, discovering his type once again at the US PGA Championship.

The 30 yr outdated Spaniard left the PGA Tour for one of sport’s most profitable contracts in December 2023, a determination that many thought would derail his profession. The similar swap has seen different huge names regress considerably, with Dustin Johnson hitting new lows and Brooks Koepka lacking consecutive main cuts for the first time ever.

Koepka, who had given the champions dinner a miss, confronted jeers about his swap during his spherical on Friday, ending nine-over-par to miss the cut. A spectator taunted him with “That’s what guaranteed money does to you, Brooks,” eliciting Koepka’s problem: “You want to come down here and say it?”

However, after notching a four-under 68, leaving him six photographs under getting into Sunday at Quail Hollow, Rahm was adamant that his downturn in main performances was unrelated to his LIV Golf participation. He pointed to preexisting points with his sport reasonably than his tour affiliation.

“Me going to LIV and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with where I was playing golf,” Rahm declared. “My swing was simply not at the level it had to be for me to compete.

“It’s simpler to post a rating on non-major championship programs and venues, and I believe when you get to the most important levels like this one and these programs, those flaws are going to get uncovered, 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’d say even 2023, after successful the Masters, I didn’t play good at all until the Ryder Cup, proper. So I believe the issues started earlier than people suppose. But I’m now getting nearer to a place of being snug. I believe this week so far and this spherical has been a show of it.”

Rahm was solid on the opening two days with one-under 70 scores but found another gear on moving day in Charlotte, North Carolina. He came storming out of the blocks with two birdies in his first two holes, then reeled off three in a row between 14 and 16.

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It was not all smooth sailing. He had to recover from a frightening moment when he got his approach shot on 11 all wrong and hit a fan directly on the head with his ball.

Rahm said: “After I hit it and we noticed the ball bounce out, which I have never seen a ball ricochet like that in a while. I imply, if it was a driver, you’ll count on it, but for a 6-iron, I imply, that factor got here in sideways fast.

“I told Adam (caddie), well, get the Sharpie ready because I’m going to have to give him something, like a signed glove.”

Navigating the infamous ‘Green Mile,’ he encountered a setback with a bogey on the seventeenth but managed to full a compelling spherical delayed by morning storms that prompted modifications in tee occasions and turned pairings into trios.

Rahm shared: “I mean, hard to express how hungry I may be for a major, about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation.

“Very glad to be in place again. Don’t know where I’ll be. I’m assuming I’ll be at least one shot back beginning tomorrow but that’s a great place. This golf course is hard 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.”