Paul McGinley blasts Jon Rahm after US Open WD

It’s hard to believe that Jon Rahm’s most recent victory – on any tour – was last year’s Masters.

The Spaniard, who has 20 PGA and DP World Tour titles but is yet to win since joining LIV Golf for a deal reported to be worth $450 million in December, is in danger of having his first trophy-free season since getting over the line at the Farmers Insurance Open shortly after turning pro in 2017.

Since seeing off now LIV colleague Brooks Koepka at Augusta to slip into the Green Jacket, Rahm had top tens at both the US Open – the tournament where he made his major breakthrough in 2021 – and The Open, but at this year’s majors he finished in a tie for 45th at the Masters before missing the cut at the PGA Championship.

He can now add a withdrawal to that record after failing to recover from a foot injury that saw him pull out midway through the latest LIV event in Houston last week.

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When the news broke late on Tuesday that Rahm would not be teeing up at Pinehurst this week, Paul McGinley struggled to hide his frustration.

“It’s disappointing, obviously,” the European Tour and Ryder Cup legend turned Golf Channel analyst explained. “The tournament has lost a player we were all looking forward to seeing.”

Still, McGinley couldn’t resist implying that Rahm’s recent slump is down to his big-money move.

“Having said that he’s had a very poor season, particularly when it comes to major championships,” McGinley added.

“He’s not the same competitor he was last year. He doesn’t seem to have the spring in his step or to play with the consistency and the intensity that he had this time last year when he was arguably the most dominant player in the game – if not the closest to Scottie Scheffler.

“So it’s a continuation of a disappointing season for Jon Rahm.”

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If Rahm recovers in time, his next tournament will be in Nashville four days after the US Open champion is crowned, before a three-week break until LIV returns to Rahm’s homeland for its Andalucia event.

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Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor