Jon Rahm still has a question he needs to clear up and which, really, is the only thing that keeps him awake. The victory in Mexico helps, but it does not solve it. He has played seven weeks in 2026 and in six of them he has done wonderfully. The average is fantastic. The problem is that the only one in which he did badly is the most important. Jon can’t get that out of his head even with the Chapultepec trophy still warm in his hands. It can be said louder but not clearer: “I’ve played seven tournaments this year, six have been very good and one has been very bad. And for a Major to be so bad, it worries me”, explains the man from Barrika
The victory at the LIV in Mexico began to take shape on Saturday afternoon at the Augusta National. Specifically, on the putting green located between the tees of holes 1 and 10. It was a very frustrating day. He carded a 73, one over par, and above all it was confirmed that he would have no chance of victory on Sunday. Not even of finishing in the top ten. In other words, a situation light years away from his expectations
There were Rahm and his caddie Adam Hayes on the putting green trying to work out what had happened that week, why on earth he hadn’t managed to feel as comfortable on the course as he had during the rest of the year. Then Adam began to explain a technical point that might help the Spaniard. It was more of a suggestion. Don’t think it was smooth sailing. “We had a heated discussion”, admits Jon. And he adds: “Adam tried to explain something to me and I wasn’t fully understanding it”. Imagine the frustration when things haven’t gone well for you
However, once that initial moment of confusion was overcome, Adam’s diagnosis worked wonders. At least, that’s what Rahm has felt since then. “As soon as I understood what he wanted to tell me and what I needed to work on in that practice-range session on Saturday afternoon, everything was much better. On Sunday at Augusta I played considerably better golf and since then everything has become a bit easier”, he notes. Unfortunately, Jon doesn’t fully explain what they talked about and why he feels more comfortable with his swing now, he has never liked talking too much about these things, but the fact is that for now it is working
That said, Jon is cautious and prefers not to get carried away, at least until the PGA Championship arrives. That second Major of the season at Aronimink, Philadelphia, in mid-May, will be the one that definitively shows whether what they’ve found also works in the majors or, on the contrary, whether they need to look elsewhere. Jon has his doubts. “Playing with a technical thought in your head during a round is not exactly the easiest thing in the world, although so far it is evident that it has worked”, he points out. The acid test will be the PGA Championship
The ultimate goal, beyond more specific technical criteria, is to get Rahm to play golf with absolute freedom. That’s what they’re aiming for. So far, he has achieved it in LIV Golf. This week he took 18 strokes off the rest of the field from tee to green. Crazy. Now then, the crucial step of the Majors remains
