ROCESTER, England – After slipping on the green jacket inside Butler Cabin at Augusta National in April 2023, Jon Rahm made 13 more starts the remainder of the year. He had six top-10s, including two runner-up finishes. But he didn’t win.
After joining LIV Golf to become the captain of the expansion Legion XIII team for the 2024 season, his first 10 starts consisted of nine top-10 finishes and a WD due to a foot infection. He was the only player in that span with a top-10 result in every tournament he completed. But he didn’t win – at least not an individual trophy, although his team won three times.
In the four majors this year, he was a non-factor in his Masters defense, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, didn’t play the U.S. Open due to that foot infection, and tied for seventh a week ago in Royal Troon at The Open. Obviously, no wins there.
But plenty of questions.
Why isn’t he winning? Had he lost his competitive edge? Had joining LIV Golf impacted his ability to close?
As the winless streak continued, the chorus of critics grew larger. Rahm provided responses, but he knew the chirping would continue until he returned to the winner’s circle.
“It never bothered me because I don't think any of you guys would say something I wasn't already thinking,” Rahm said. “I'm my worst critic.”
On Sunday night at LIV Golf UK by JCB, his detractors finally went silent. Rahm returned to the land of the winning with a one-shot victory over Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and his Legion teammate Tyrrell Hatton, and double-dipped with Legion’s fourth team win of the year
For Rahm, the initial emotion was bittersweet, since his good friend Hatton missed a chance to force a playoff by three-putting the final hole for bogey. But the win was also a relief, reducing the weight off his shoulders that had built up in the last 16 months.
Credit the criticism – the self-induced variety as well as from the outside – as motivation.
“I've felt like from what I've read in the media it's that I guess maybe my play hasn't reflected how good I really felt about my game,” Rahm said. “I felt like I was playing good, and I guess top 10 is not enough anymore, even when I didn't feel my best in some of the weeks.
“Just because I had poor performances at the Masters and the PGA, I think I was taking a lot of criticism just for two weeks on how I was really playing and how I really felt. So, feel really good to actually perform the way I did on the weekend last week [at The Open] and carry that over and win it.
“I'm happy about it, but when you're in the public eye, you're going to get criticized. You almost have to use it as fuel to motivate yourself.”
Two differences in England proved vital in getting the job done.
His opening-round 8-under 63 for a two-stroke lead was the perfect launchpad entering the weekend. For as well as Rahm has played in LIV Golf tournaments, he had never owned the outright lead after any round. That big start allowed him to overcome two late bogeys in his second-round 70 and remain in contention.
Meanwhile, his final-round form is now a strength. Earlier in the season, he struggled at times on Sunday. In his LIV Golf debut at Mayakoba, he finished with two bogeys to miss the playoff. In Las Vegas, his final-round 71 was the only round over par of the top eight finishers.
But at JCB, he hunted down 36-hole leader Andy Ogletree and stuck with a smart gameplan to play 5-under bogey-free golf for 16 holes. His only mistake was a misread at the 17th green, resulting in a three-putt bogey that dropped him into a tie with Hatton. But only temporarily.
“Really happy I got it done,” Rahm said. “Did what I needed to do on Friday, which is something I feel like I haven't done this season, take the lead or shoot a low one to put myself in a really good position to maybe where I can afford a bad Saturday. Instead of playing catch-up for the entire Saturday, I was kind of in position.
“I learned from the mistakes I made [Saturday], I adjusted and played a fantastic round of golf [Sunday]. There's not a lot that went wrong. Made a lot of good swings out there and had a lot of fun, which is kind of how you want it.”
His first individual title in 27 starts couldn’t have been any sweeter. Or timelier, especially since his next start is this week’s men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics. He’ll enter the 60-man field as one of the favorites and would love nothing more than claiming a couple of medals with Spanish teammate and LIV Golf competitor David Puig.
His confidence level has never been higher this season.
“It's something I really look forward to,” Rahm said. “It's going to be a fantastic week to share with David, being another LIV member, a player that's become a really close friend of mine. It's going to be a lot of fun, and hopefully one of us has a chance to get the gold.”
[Source: livgolf.com]
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are each ‘only’ one major championship victory away from completing the career grand slam. After hoisting the Claret Jug at Royal Troon, Xander Schauffele has now checked two of the four major championship boxes after also winning the PGA Championship earlier in the year.
Despite the fact that he'll need to climb golf's most daunting mountains two more times, Schauffele's camp is confident that he'll complete the career grand slam before anyone else of his generation.
Stefan Schauffele, Xander's father who relishes any opportunity to say whatever is on his mind, staked his claim shortly after his son's conquering of Royal Troon.
"It’s up to you guys to take a look at the statistics and see who has the greatest potential of being the next career grand-slammer because I think he’s the one who has the game," he said. "Yes, I’m being subjective but I think, objectively, you will arrive at the same conclusion."
Recency bias is a very real thing, especially when we're talking about a supportive father going to bat for his son, but another way to look at the elder Schauffele's comments is that he's not shying away from the moment and not bothered by adding pressure on his son to accomplish golf's greatest challenge.
Schauffele's caddie, Austin Kaiser, is in the same camp and has already been in his boss' ear about winning all four of golf's major championships.
"After Xander won the PGA, I looked at him and said, ‘Let’s go for the grand slam’," Austin Kaiser said. "Let’s do it. Why not? He’s right there. He’s played well in Augusta. He’s played well in the US Open. I definitely could see him achieving that. No problem."
Kaiser's "no problem" at the end of that statement is as confident as it gets. To suggest winning the career slam is ‘no problem’ is bold, but then again, that's the mindset one has to have if they want to become the seventh member of the career grand slam crowd.
Schauffele will turn 31 years old in October. The number of chances he should have to contend at major championships will be aplenty, but this is professional golf. McIlroy is entering year 11 without winning a major, something nobody in the world could have predicted a decade ago.
[Source: outkick.com]
New Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre might need a helping hand getting to Royal Troon this week.
The Scot claimed a brilliant and emotional win at the Renaissance Club on Sunday and vowed to ‘celebrate hard’ despite the 152nd Open Championship coming up on Thursday.
MacIntyre delighted the home crowds by birdieing his final hole in North Berwick to beat Adam Scott to the prestigious title by one stroke.
The victory came just twelve months on from heartbreak for the 27-year-old as Rory McIlroy beat him on the final hole of last year’s Scottish Open.
MacIntyre has made no secret of his desire to win his home event and, having done so, he was in the mood celebrate.
“I think there might be a change of schedule,” MacIntyre said of his pre-planned Open press conference at 3pm on Monday.
“I don't think I'll be in a fit state to get to Troon. I don't think I'll be legally able to drive.
“This, I'm going to celebrate hard, and I'll pitch up [at Troon] when I tee the ball on Thursday, whatever time I tee off, I'll try to win the championship.
“There might be some alcohol still in the system, but I will try my best.”
MacIntyre has enjoyed a stellar year, starring at the Ryder Cup before winning his maiden PGA Tour title at the Canadian Open last month.
His Scottish Open title has added to his already-impressive CV while he’ll be eager to build upon his fine Open record this week too.
MacIntyre added: “How I come down from this, I don't think I will.
“I think I will just try and ride the wave, and next week, yeah, it's Open Championship, that means, again, a lot to me.
“But you've got to celebrate the good times because it doesn't happen a lot.
“I've lost my voice from the scream that I let out.
“Last year was heartbreaking, but this year, it means everything. This is one that I said I wanted at some point in my career, and I got it today.”
[Source: talksport.com]
If Davis Thompson keeps up the streak, there is a house in the Quad Cities area of Illinois that PGA Tour pros will be clamoring to get into next year. Has anybody called the couch yet?
The 25-year-old Thompson heads into the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run holding a two-shot lead over Eric Cole (64) and Aaron Rai (66) after firing a nine-birdie 62 on Saturday to get to 21 under. If he prevails, the former Georgia Bulldogs and Walker Cup star will notch his first tour win in his 63rd start.
Better yet, a Thompson win will continue either a really lucky or spooky streak for what PGATour.com dubbed in a story this week the “Trophy House.”
There are a group of players who regularly rent houses together at tour stops, and though they often switch residences, the crew has, for superstitious reasons, kept going back to one home for the Deere. That’s because J.T. Poston captured the 2022 event while staying in this particular house, and fellow renter Sepp Straka strengthened the Trophy House vibe when he roared to a closing 62 for the victory last year.
Straka said earlier this week that he paid the full rent for last year’s house, but he wasn’t staying there this week because his family was in town, though he did stop by to play cards and shoot the bull.
“If I win this year, they got to pay their own way,” said Straka, who will not get that done, standing at T-53 heading into Sunday.
Enter Thompson, who Straka jokingly said “snuck” into the house and got his room. Eerily, before the tournament, Straka offered, “Maybe it can work well for him.”
The Trophy House group this year includes Thompson, Poston, Denny McCarthy, Ben Kohles, Greyson Sigg and Patton Kizzire.
“We get a big house, there’s like six of us in there, and it’s fun because you come back and you’re playing cards or throwing football in the backyard,” Poston told PGATour.com. “It’s a good way to decompress and get away from golf, because the hard part of the hotel thing is you get back to the hotel and, if you’re alone, you’re probably thinking about golf.”
Said McCarthy, “It can be a battle, especially when things aren’t going great on the golf course. It’s nice to have guys in the house to come back to and talk with and hang out. Whether you shoot 65 or 75, it doesn’t matter.”
Thompson, who has scores this week of 63-67-62, has done his part to carry the mojo. He’s pulling off the trifecta of impressive stats, ranking second in strokes gained/around the green, third in off the tee and eighth in putting.
“It's been fun staying with those guys this week. Hopefully maybe it three years in a row,” Thompson said. “That would be pretty cool. Seems like everybody is going to want to be staying in that house next year.”
And Sepp Straka is going to have to fight to get his room back.
[source: golfdigest.com]
