NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Jon Rahm entered the 2026 PGA Championship facing tremendous pressure to perform. While he is still widely considered one of the four best golfers on the planet, the two-time major champion has rarely found himself in true contention for a major title since departing for LIV Golf and started the 2026 major season with a dud at the Masters.
With LIV Golf facing an uncertain financial future, Rahm needed to reaffirm his position at the top of the sport with a strong performance at Aronimink Golf Club. By Sunday afternoon in the Philadelphia suburbs, he had done just that.
A runner-up finish this week, coming up three strokes short of Aaron Rai, marked Rahm’s best finish in a major since the 2023 Open Championship — his last start before defecting to LIV Golf.
After ending so many majors frustrated with his stalled progress in the sport’s four biggest events, Rahm was content with his effort at Aronimink. All week, he scoffed at the pre-tournament notion that low scores would run rampant at this year’s PGA, and while he lamented his inability to get the speed right on the greens on Sunday, he was thrilled to have put himself back in contention late on a Sunday at a major again.
“I played really good golf,” Rahm said. “That’s the only way to look at it. Just wish I’d have done better with the speed of the greens. Just couldn’t seem to get it to the hole, and that’s the reason why I didn’t hole any more putts. Even so, with what Aaron [Rai] did today, catching him would have been very difficult. … 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. Four rounds at under par or even par, can’t really ask too much more of myself. Just maybe obviously hole in a few more putts, which is not an easy task over here on these greens.”
At Augusta National, Rahm spent the weekend trying to figure out something he could take with him moving forward. After grinding just to make the cut on the number, he explained that the only positive about a week like that was that he could try new methods under tournament pressure. From different shot shapes to putting alignment, Rahm saw those efforts translate from the practice area to the actual course.
That work over the weekend at the Masters, along with the decision to tweak how he prepared for majors — declining on Sunday to go into any specifics about what changes — brought the intended results. He looked more in control of his golf ball than we’ve seen from him in some time, and with that control, he could get more creative and shape shots — showing that off on Sunday as he was able to work the ball both directions, rather than being wholly reliant on his stock fade.
Rahm feels like his swing is in the best place it’s been since 2021, including the 2023 season he dominated, but it’s just a matter of getting the results to back up that feeling.
While every star is measured ultimately by major success, the reality for LIV Golf’s stars is that they face even more pressure to perform under golf’s four biggest spotlights. The rest of the year, they’re largely out of sight and out of mind for the casual golf fan. While Rahm may bristle at that notion, it’s the reality of his situation, and he came into this week’s PGA Championship needing to make a statement — to the golf world and himself.
“After the Masters, I’ve been playing good,” Rahm said. “I just — when the pressure is the highest in majors, some of those things you’re working on, those weak links can damage the foundation, right? Just happy that all those things I felt like I could have done better at Augusta ended up working out this week.”
Rahm entered this week dealing with a tremendous amount of outside noise regarding the future of LIV Golf, but he stayed consistent in his message that he would let the business people worry about the business, and all he could do was try to be the best version of himself on the course. On Saturday, he was asked if he’d thought about what a win would mean for the circuit, and he doubled down on keeping his focus tight on himself.
“Honestly, in a week like this one, I’m thinking more about myself,” Rahm said. “I’m not going to take on anything outside what I can control when it comes to competing tomorrow. If I do get it done and I sit here again tomorrow, then you can ask me the same question, and I’ll give you an answer. But what it would mean for Spain as well in the grand slam tally and being the last leg of the grand slam for us as well, there’s a lot of things that would mean a lot, but too much of it is out of my control.”
That proved to be a savvy mindset, running in contrast to Bryson DeChambeau, who missed his second consecutive major cut at Aronimink and seems weighed down by the uncertainty of his future and that of LIV Golf.
While this week didn’t end with Rahm hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy, his performance in a runner-up finish was the best we’ve seen from him over four days at a major in years. Rahm tipped his hat to Rai for outplaying him, but he leaves Aronimink brimming with confidence ahead of June’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. There, another opportunity awaits Rahm to add a third major title to his résumé and cement his place as one of this generation’s best.
That is pressure enough, and Rahm seems to have learned a valuable lesson in recent years about not letting outside forces add to it.
When Rahm first left for LIV Golf, he appeared uncomfortable with his sudden situation as one of golf’s villains — which, to be clear, was self-inflicted. His performance in majors lagged, perhaps trying too hard to prove he hadn’t made the wrong choice or weighed down by carrying so much hope for the still-fledgling league as one of its few stars in their prime.
Now, with LIV Golf’s future in question, Rahm is not falling for the same trappings. He is actively distancing himself from the business side of things and trying to put on blinders to remain hyper-focused on his golf game. Playing great golf has always led to opportunities for Rahm, and it’ll be no different this time around.