The lowest-ever cut line at the PGA Championship has taken the scalp of several big-name players, one of whom is LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm.
Like a clutch of other players, including 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and World No.6 Ludvig Aberg, the Spaniard has missed out on the weekend at the Major despite finishing on even-par for the tournament, with the projected cut line at one-under.
That means that he has failed to make the weekend at a Major for the first time since the 2019 edition of the PGA Championship, 18 tournaments ago.
Since joining LIV Golf, Rahm has yet to recreate the form that saw him win four times in 2023, although he has been consistent, with top-10 finishes in each of his seven starts on the circuit. Because of that, Rahm revealed to LIVGolf.com that the form that led to his early exit this week had been unexpected.
He said: “Surprised. Surprised because of how I felt like I was hitting it in Australia and Singapore and in the week off before coming here, especially off the tee, hitting great drives – and that's what's been my downfall. I just couldn't find a fairway off the tee. You can make birdies off the fairway, but off the rough, it's a tough golf course to score on and that's kind of what happened to me."
Rahm followed his one-under 70 on Thursday with a one-over 72 on Friday, not helped by a double bogey on his eighth of the day. Despite that, he remained within touching distance of the cut line throughout, but three pars to close out his round weren’t quite enough. He admitted his failure to convert at least one of those to a birdie had been his undoing.
“When you're playing bad you kind need the extra motivation some kind of way,” he said. “It was on my mind and the swing wasn't quite there, but with the putter, I felt comfortable. I was just begging to give myself some kind of a chance and I could never give myself anything on the last three holes.”
Rahm’s next Major appearance will come at the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 in June, where he will hope to bounce back with his second title at the tournament. He has just one more start to prepare for it, at LIV Golf Houston the week beforehand.
