Jon Rahm (-2) is experiencing déjà vu in this PGA Championship. The same story of the entire year 2025 is repeating itself. Is he playing badly? No, not at all. Is he playing well? Yes, of course. Otherwise, you don’t make the cut in a Major with ease and have real chances of victory with 36 holes to go. So, the question needs to be asked differently. Is he playing well enough to win the PGA? No, at least not yet. Jon is organised, more confident from the tee than in previous weeks, alternating stretches of very good golf with others not so brilliant. Light and shade. He has enough resources to stay in the fight, but he’s missing those special little touches that separate those fighting to win in the last nine holes on Sunday from those who aren’t.
Rahm is still waiting for the big storm. Today he played very well in the first ten holes. He made a bogey on the 2nd, but signed two birdies on the 7th and 8th. This stretch could have been even better, as he missed a short par putt on the 2nd and another very clear birdie putt on the 10th. That said, there’s no faulting his putting. He saved two crucial pars on the 11th and 12th, as well as two very delicate ones on the 16th and 17th. Yes, his round could have been better, and also worse.
Jon heads into the PGA weekend six shots off the lead and four from second place after delivering his second consecutive round of 70. Scheffler is three shots ahead, probably the best reference of all. It’s undeniable that he’s in the fight and his chances of victory remain intact, but it’s also undeniable that he needs to go a step further. He needs to shift into fifth and sixth gear if he wants to have a chance in the final holes. It’s been the hardest thing for him this year, but Rahm remains confident that one week he’ll break through that invisible wall preventing him from lifting trophies.
Will it be this weekend? We’ll see. We just have to wait. Rahm, for his part, is asking for a little help from Mother Nature. No more rain and some wind. He wants a challenging course, fast fairways, and wind to move the trees, both literally and figuratively. It seems it could be that way… Then, he needs to shift into fifth and sixth gear. That’s entirely up to him. “I don’t know if you can shoot a really low round here if it gets tougher, but at least a round of four or five under seems likely,” he assured today after finishing.
