Rahm ‘back to his best’ as DeChambeau ‘not tuned in’ during Rai’s shock major

As the PGA Championship delivered one of the most congested fields in major history until Aaron Rai’s win, LIV Golf’s two marquee names experienced vastly different weeks at Aronimink Golf Club.

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were both among the pre-tournament favourites to win the Wanamaker Trophy, having both enjoyed two victories each on LIV Golf this season and contended at last year’s PGA Championship.

Whereas Rahm was able to secure a tied-second finish, equalling his best major performance since winning The Masters in 2023, DeChambeau failed to reach the weekend and finished joint-last of the 11 LIV Golf players in this week’s field.

Rahm had finished outside the top-30 at The Open and The Masters, leading to questions about a perceived drop-off in results and LIV Golf not offering the best preparation for majors, but Rahm was able to silence many doubters with his performance.

“As far as I’m concerned, to be in the mix again and hit it as good as I did and perform as well as I did this weekend, it’s been a great week,” Rahm said. “Can’t really ask too much more of myself.”

The former world No 1 was chasing a third leg of the career Grand Slam and looking to become the first Spaniard to win the PGA Championship, with the major also his first since confirming his Ryder Cup future after settling his long-standing fines dispute with the DP World Tour.

“He has stopped his fight with the DP World Tour and looks in a happy place and I think that’s been the platform mentally for him to go on and have this great performance,” former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley told Golf Channel.

“He has gone through a barren patch in the majors, it has to be said. He might have backdoored a couple of top-tens in there and he got in contention here last year, but he hasn’t been a factor.

“When he went to LIV, he was the top player in the game and the last couple of years he’s not been [in majors]. We saw glimpses of it last year [tied-eighth finish], but this year he roared back into contention. He was the thoroughbred up there and he didn’t back off at any stage.

“If the putter was a little bit hotter, he could well have been a champion and he played well enough to do so. Let’s not discount him going forward – it looks like he’s back to his best.”

Positives for LIV Golf amid DeChambeau’s major struggles

Rahm was one of four LIV Golfers to finish in the top-20, with 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith (tied-seventh) ending a run of six consecutive major missed cuts, David Puig (tied-18th) breaking into the world’s top 60 to secure US Open qualification and Joaquin Niemann (tied-18th) impressing.

The performances marked an improved showing on how LIV Golf fared at The Masters, where Tyrrell Hatton was the only player inside the top 30, plus provided an on-course boost to LIV Golf during a time where Saudi’s PIF withdrawing their funding leaves its future unclear beyond this season.

DeChambeau had a run of five top-six finishes in six majors across 2024 and 2025 but has struggled to translate LIV form into the big events since, with an early exit in Pennsylvania his third missed cut in four majors.

The two-time US Open champion missed the cut by three shots despite closing his second-round 71 with three consecutive birdies, with DeChambeau’s future unclear due his LIV Golf contract expiring at the end of this season and no immediate pathway currently available to return to the PGA Tour.

“It was not vintage Bryson at all,” McGinley added. “He played well in the majors last year, with three top-10 out of the four majors, but he was all over the place on day one.

“In my view, he overplayed his hand with LIV Golf. He’s got egg in his face with the money that he was looking for there and, now that the Saudis are not there, he’s in danger of overplaying his hand with the PGA Tour. That’s not conducive to being in a good mindset.

“His agent has told him not to speak to the media and all those things mean that it’s a player not in a good mindset to go and play great golf. Off-course stuff is affecting him and he’s not tuned in – that’s the bottom line.”

Big names lack missing ingredient in Rai’s win

Rai holed an eagle and four birdies – including one from 70 feet – over the final 10 holes of his victory, the first by an Englishman in 107 years at the PGA Championship and ending a run of 10 consecutive American winners of the event.

Alex Smalley (world No 78) and Matti Schmid (world No 97) were also surprise names to led at various points of a historic Sunday, where gusting winds and tough pins over the first three days had left 30 players starting within five of the lead.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler admitted his putting performance was a ‘bitter pill to swallow’, having missed six putts from inside five feet during his tied-14th finish, while Rory McIlroy was left to rue three holes of his final-round 69 as he finished five strokes behind Rai.

“In a day where everybody seemed like in the top 20 had a chance to win this thing, he [Rai] eventually wore everybody down,” Brandel Chamblee told Golf Channel. “When you look at the top 10 players in the world, it seemed like every single one of them had some sort of problem.

“Rory [McIlroy] couldn’t find fairways. Scottie Scheffler couldn’t make any putts. Xander Schauffele was struggling with his irons. Cameron Young was struggling in scrambling. Ludvig Åberg was missing four footers out there.

“To get some help at the top of that leaderboard, the top 10 players in the world have to have some problem. Part of that was because they’re used to getting their way all the time, not just off of the golf course, but on the golf course.

“When you have thick rough like this, it does hold you accountable for a mistake. You do see players like Aaron Rai and JJ Spaun and Brian Harman coming through [to win majors] and it’s good for golf to see that every now and then.”

Spieth extends wait for Grand Slam

Jordan Spieth fell short once again in his pursuit of the missing major required to complete the career Grand Slam, having given fans early hope with his encouraging start to the week.

Spieth challenging for a fourth major title always appeared unlikely, given he was without a worldwide top-10 since last June and last won on the PGA Tour in April 2022, although that changed when he briefly moved into a share of the lead during his opening round.

Two late bogeys saw him slip two behind the logjam share of top spot, with Spieth finding just one birdie in a second-round 72 before seeing his hopes end with scores of 70 and 68 over the weekend.

Spieth showed plenty of encouraging signs off the tee and showed off his impressive touch around the greens, suggesting a return to the winner’s circle could be getting closer, although finished outside the top 15 at the PGA Championship for the seventh consecutive year.

Kern takes plaudit as club pro king

While the bottom 14 places on this week’s leaderboard came from the 20-strong contingent of club professionals in the field, Ben Kern became a social media sensation for securing his weekend spot.

Kern, a general manager at Ohio’s Hickory Hills GC who sets himself a goal of playing one round a week, delivered the performance of his life when he carded six birdies in a second-round 67 on Friday.

As the annual questions linger about whether including 20 club pros in a 156-man major field is excessive, Kern surpassed his personal goals by getting weekend tee times – including a pairing with Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for his final-round 72.

Success stories involving club pros are rare, with Michael Block another to earn cult status after his hole-in-one and tied-15th finish in 2023, but Kern’s performance validated his place in the field and left him celebrating a ‘special week’ on golf’s top table.

What’s next?

The PGA Tour heads to Texas for The CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, where Scheffler returns as defending champion. Early coverage begins on Thursday from 12.45pm on Sky Sports+ and 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.

McIlroy is set to to take two weeks off before returning at the Memorial Tournament from June 4-7, while the next men’s major is the US Open at Shinnecock Hills from June 18-21, with both also live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.

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