Rahm hits back at LIV critics as he targets history after moving day charge at PGA Championship

Jon Rahm would become the first Spaniard to win three different majors with victory at Quail Hollow on Sunday as he aims to silence LIV Golf critics.

Since making the huge-money move to LIV Golf in December 2023, Jon Rahm hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any of the Saudi-backed tour’s 54-hole events. He’s the reigning individual champion and has tasted victory at LIV Golf UK and LIV Golf Chicago.

However, his Major form has been poor, leading many onlookers to place the blame on the tour where he’s chosen to ply his trade.

LIV’s 54-man, no-cut fields and shortened format have led many to question Rahm’s decision to leave the PGA Tour, especially when many of its roster can no longer be considered at the peak of their powers.

Barring a T7 at last year’s Open, the Ryder Cup star, who won the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters, had a poor 2024 in the Majors. But a Sunday charge at The Masters saw him finish T14 at Augusta last month and now he believes he’s proving his quality again.

“Me going to LIV and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with where I was playing golf. My swing was simply not at the level it had to be for me to compete,” the 30-year-old said after an excellent moving day fired him into contention at Quail Hollow.

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“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 have 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 went on, and I’m still working and trying to get my swing to a better spot.”

Rahm, who captains Legion XIII on LIV, pointed out that his swing wasn’t in a great place before he made the controversial move.

“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,” the Callaway player added.

The round was a 67 (-4), which saw him jump up the leaderboard to sit at six-under. As he signed his card, he was within one of the lead, but a late surge from World No.1 Scottie Scheffler means Rahm will have to make up five shots if he wants his third major title. If he does, he’ll make history by becoming the first Spaniard to hoist the huge Wanamaker Trophy, and, in the process, become the the first of his countrymen to win three different majors. While Seve Ballesteros would still lead the overall count with five to his name, even Rahm’s idol couldn’t seal a victory outside of The Masters and The Open.

Rahm’s best finish in this major is a T8 in 2021 and he hasn’t finished higher than T48 since. Barring a disaster, he’ll have at least another top-10 to his name tomorrow, while a victory would put him within an Open Championship victory of the career Grand Slam. It would also all but guarantee his spot in Europe’s side for their Ryder Cup defence at Bethpage Black in September – something he has limited opportunities to do while playing on LIV.

Rahm reiterated his desire to qualify for Luke Donald’s side rather than rely on a captain’s pick, but even if he fails to get the job done tomorrow, he’s surely shown enough across this tournament and with his LIV form to make a fourth successive appearance in the biennial clash.

“Hopefully I can qualify, and we don’t have to question it. I would like to think that personally I am (in the team), but it’s not up to me,” he said earlier this week.

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Rahm’s Saturday charge could easily have been impacted when a wayward 6-iron thudded off the head of a spectator and flew across the 11^th green. Miraculously, the fan was unhurt and the former World No.1 shared a joke with him as he checked his welfare and handed over a signed glove.

“He took it great,” Rahm smiled. I told him, if he was European and grew up playing soccer, football, and he just aimed a little bit better, maybe just get it closer to the hole.

“It’s a weird moment. Sometimes when that happens and they’re not hurt, they are so excited because they know we are going to go there and just have a five-minute conversation, and yeah, he took it great and he was a great sport about it.”