Getty
Jon Rahm hasn’t won a tournament since September 2024.
Anthony Kim’s improbable, inspiring win at LIV Golf Adelaide took over the sports world overnight. Luckily for Jon Rahm, Kim’s triumph overshadowed yet another disappointing Sunday for one of the world’s top players.
This has become a concerning pattern for Rahm, who’s finished solo second in each of LIV Golf’s first two tournaments this season. Despite playing on a less competitive tour with fewer players and easier paths to victory, the Spaniard hasn’t won a tournament since September 2024. Rahm has now played in 26 tournaments worldwide since his last victory at LIV Golf Chicago two years ago.
At this point, it’s not hyperbolic to say Rahm isn’t the same player or closer he was before he joined LIV.
Jon Rahm Fails to Close the Deal on LIV Golf Once Again
GettyJon Rahm should be concerned about his inability to win on LIV Golf.
Another week, another close call for Rahm on the LIV Golf League. One week after losing to rookie Elvis Smylie in the season opener in Riyadh, Rahm entered the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide tied for the lead at 19-under par. No other player in the field was lower than 14 under through three rounds, so Sunday was shaping up to be a two-man showdown between Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
That’s not how it played out, as Kim fired a 9-under 63 in the final round and stormed back from a five-shot deficit to win his first tournament in 16 years. Rahm managed just a 1-under 71 on Sunday, while DeChambeau limped to a 2-over 74.
As well as Kim played in the final round, Rahm has no excuse to blow a five-shot lead to a 40-year-old who hadn’t finished better than T22 in his first 25 LIV Golf starts. Kim walked away from the game in 2012 and didn’t touch a golf club for years as he battled addiction and mental health issues. It’s an unbelievable, heartwarming story that Kim stared death in the face, rebuilt his life, returned to professional golf and found the winner’s circle in just his third season back, but Rahm should never lose to players like him in a four-round tournament.
A world-class golfer would’ve closed the deal on Sunday afternoon, but Rahm might not be one of them anymore.
Rahm Isn’t the Same Player He Used to Be
Jon Rahm has hit so many double crosses this week
It’s the risk you take when you always aim left for a cut. If you hit it straight or close the face a little, bye bye
Rahm has played in 15 LIV Golf tournaments since his last win in 2024, and he hasn’t finished worse than T11 in any of them. That’s not exactly anything to brag about, as the Spaniard is considered a top-10 golfer in the world and plays on a tour without much star power. If anything, it only proves that he’s lost the skill to close out golf tournaments when they’re there for the taking.
Rahm’s winless drought has also carried over to major championships. Since joining LIV Golf in 2024, the former No. 1 player in the world has finished T45, cut, T7, T14, T8, T7 and T34 in seven major starts. He didn’t seriously contend for a win in any of those tournaments.
Rahm won’t be able to get his mojo back until he returns to the winner’s circle, but the pressure to win only grows stronger with every close call.
Jack Dougherty Jack Dougherty is an established sports journalist covering professional golf, Penn State football and the NFL with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles for Heavy.com. His work has been featured on GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, the Associated Press, Sportscasting, Sportmoney, Pro Golf Now and Yardbarker. More about Jack Dougherty
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