Jon Rahm makes major Tyrrell Hatton prediction

In the tumultuous climax to the US Open, there was a brief period of chaos when Jon Rahm was being floated as the shock winner at Oakmont.

The Spaniard had posted a three-under 67 before the rain delay to take the clubhouse lead, a lead he held for several hours as many of the front runners crumbled in the sodden conditions.

Ultimately, Rahm was left to rue a poor putting week, but a T7 finish still represented more major progress as he prepares for his Open Championship bid at Royal Portrush next month.

“I mean, it was nothing but a good week,” he said, reflecting on Oakmont ahead of this week’s LIV event in Dallas.

“Extremely difficult golf course. Extremely penalizing anytime you make a mistake. Finishing top 10 is always going to be a good week. Very happy to shoot under par twice. It’s just too bad Friday cost me a little bit too much.”

Rahm did stick around until the end, partly in the faint hope of a staggering upset but more in the support of his LIV teammate Tyrrell Hatton.

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Hatton seriously contended in a major for the first time at Oakmont, but was undone by a bad break as his ball submerged into the rough on a severe downslope on the driveable 17th hole.

“I would say as far as the week goes or the ending, I would say score doesn’t always reflect the truth,” Rahm continued.

“I played Sunday with barely any pressure, so I could afford to take some risks and posted a score and never had to deal with the nerves or intensity that Tyrrell had.

“So playing that golf course under those circumstances is much different than if you go five hours before.

“I would say it’s not comparable. He played fantastic golf, and honestly, it was pretty apparent to me I wasn’t going to win it.

“There was too many good players and somebody was going to post a lower score. But it’s one of those things you have to stick around just in case and also I was staying around hoping Tyrrell would win it.

“It is unfortunate such a good week for him came down to arguably one of the unluckiest breaks I’ve seen in golf. For his drive on 17 to land on such a severe downslope in the rough and not even move two feet forward in the bunker, it’s a big difference.

“There’s no guarantee anytime of winning, but if that ball would have been in the bunker, there definitely would have been a much better chance of giving it a go.”

Rahm insists a major is just around the major for Hatton, who will also fancy his chances heading to Portrush.

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“Happy for him,” Rahm added. “Happy he played great. I think if he’s playing this good in majors, it’s just a matter of time of one coming. Hoping that happens.”

Hatton was also upbeat reflecting on his first near miss in a major.

“It was a tough break on 17, which was just unfortunate timing in the tournament,” he said.

“It was nice to finally have that feeling of having a chance to win, to be honest.

“I think that was my 41st or 42nd major. It’s fair to say that I’ve had enough experience now, and yeah, golf is a stupid game. I didn’t do anything different. I didn’t try any harder or anything like that. I just happened to play well that week.

“I’ve proven in the past that if I play well on a given week, wherever I’m playing, I’ll give myself a chance to win the tournament.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.