{"id":642484,"date":"2026-05-14T10:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/642484\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:49:13","slug":"jon-rahm-made-his-bed-now-hes-reaping-in-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/642484\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Rahm made his bed. Now he\u2019s reaping in it"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Athletic has live coverage of the PGA Championship first round<\/a><\/p>\n

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. \u2014 On the day everything changed, Jon Rahm said that he hadn\u2019t given much thought to how things might change. Turns out, that\u2019s resulted in some unforeseen circumstances.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s remember back. It was Dec. 7, 2023, an otherwise quiet Thursday, when Rahm dropped a seismic announcement that he was leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. At the time, the then-29-year-old not only carried the clout of a two-time major winner with 52 weeks at No. 1 in the world rankings, but also as a perceived tour loyalist who had previously openly questioned both LIV\u2019s long-term viability and its quality of competition. Only eight months removed from winning the Masters, he was the first PGA Tour player to defect to LIV following a June 2023 framework agreement that was supposed to end the turf war.<\/p>\n

Rahm hopped on a call with a small handful of reporters that afternoon to explain his decision. That\u2019s where he said, somewhat earnestly, that he \u201chasn\u2019t really thought about\u201d his decision\u2019s long-term effects. Those types of answers, he said, would have to wait for the future.<\/p>\n

Well, here we are.<\/p>\n

It is May 2026. It is two years, five months and five days later. It is the week of the PGA Championship at Aronimink.<\/p>\n

And what has Rahm learned since making his decision to jump to LIV?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is for me to know,\u201d Rahm said Tuesday, nodding at nothing, \u201cand that\u2019s about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once LIV\u2019s biggest signing, the Spanish star has come to look and sound like a large man on a small island. Having decided to pass on a one-time lifeline offered by the PGA Tour for players specifically like himself, Rahm could only watch these last few weeks helplessly as LIV\u2019s future began fading from view. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is walking away from a tour it poured billions of dollars into, including a reported $300 million for Rahm. In the absence of what was once believed to be unlimited funding, both the league and its players are face-to-face with a new reality.<\/p>\n

Last week, during a LIV press conference in Virginia, Rahm said he still believes in the league and hopes new investors arise. He did so while also saying that he has \u201cseveral years left\u201d on his contract, doesn\u2019t \u201csee any way out,\u201d and that CEO Scott O\u2019Neill has \u201ca lot of hard work to do.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Not to be indelicate about it, but Rahm is looking and sounding like he realizes things have backfired. That his place in the game is not what it should be. That his decision to become wealthier beyond his wildest dreams came with competitive consequences \u2014 consequences that those against whom he measures himself are not dealing with.<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler? They\u2019re enjoying life on a PGA Tour that\u2019s been reshaped and restructured and infused with loads of money, mostly thanks to LIV\u2019s disruption.<\/p>\n

DeChambeau? He\u2019s already said he can blissfully exist playing YouTube golf, and, you know what, it\u2019s worth believing him.<\/p>\n

And Rahm? The idea of a player of his caliber serving as Capit\u00e1n General of a ghost ship golf tour is as perplexing as it is plausible. With Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed returning to the PGA Tour and future funds dried up, LIV carries little resemblance to what Rahm signed up for. Back then, LIV\u2019s roster claimed seven of golf\u2019s prior 14 majors, including Rahm\u2019s 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters wins. Heading into this week, LIV is 1-of-8 over the last two years.<\/p>\n

It was long theorized that much of the motivation for Rahm\u2019s initial jump to LIV was that he might be a one-man domino to either bring the PGA Tour and LIV together or make LIV strong enough to become profitable. This, the thought went, was Rahm staking his claim as the biggest name in the game. Subtlety never their strong suit, LIV leaned into the idea, outfitting Rahm in a literal black hat and matching letterman\u2019s jacket for his heel turn.<\/p>\n

But more than two years later, the domino is still standing, and Rahm can sometimes feel like an afterthought among the best players in the world.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s PGA Championship served as a reminder of what could, or should, be. After starting Sunday\u2019s final round five shots behind Scheffler, Rahm picked Quail Hollow apart, charging to a share of the lead early in the back nine and detonating cheers that rose over the din of all PGA Tour vs LIV chatter.<\/p>\n

Rahm heard it, and he felt it, and, to this day, yearns for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I made that birdie putt on 11 and I hit those good shots on 12 and 13 and almost made the putt on 13, the support from the crowd and the cheering from the crowd was what made it so much fun,\u201d Rahm said Tuesday morning at Aronimink, where he\u2019ll make his 10th career appearance in the PGA. \u201cIt was a realization of having such support from the crowd and playing good golf that made me realize, in a way, how I\u2019m truly perceived from the public, as opposed to what I read sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm are LIV Golf\u2019s last two big stars. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine any scenario where Rahm isn\u2019t bothered by where he stands. Scottie is the best player in the world. Rory is Rory. Bryson is the needle.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s Rahm?<\/p>\n

He was asked on Tuesday how cognizant he is regarding his place among the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as players, we know we usually have a fairly good assessment of where we stand,\u201d Rahm said. \u201cI don\u2019t really necessarily need a ranking to tell me where I\u2019m at or where I feel like I\u2019m at.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s good, because, as a result of LIV\u2019s limited opportunities to earn world ranking points, Rahm currently ranks 20th in the Official World Golf Rankings, one spot behind Jacob Bridgeman, who has made the cut in fewer majors (one) than Rahm has won. Not only is Rahm not in the top five, but he\u2019s also not even a top-five European player. He\u2019s well down the ladder from McIlroy (2), Matt Fitzpatrick (4), Tommy Fleetwood (6), Justin Rose (7), Robert MacIntyre (12), Sepp Straka (13), Ludvig Aberg (15) and Alex Noren (18). Noren, at 43, has two career top-10s in 41 major appearances and has never won a PGA Tour event.<\/p>\n

Everyone believes Rahm is better than nearly all of these players. What\u2019s dwindled are his chances to prove it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a reality of his own making, one he\u2019ll have to continue to accept.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Athletic has live coverage of the PGA Championship first round NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. \u2014 On the day…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99,1794],"class_list":["post-642484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}