CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It will stay with Jon Rahm that in an alternate history, Sunday would’ve, could’ve, should’ve been a career-pivoting moment back to the top of the heap. A spot he knows well. You don’t have to squint to still see the guy who ranked No. 1 in the world for 52 weeks. Or the guy who finished birdie-birdie to win the 2021 U.S. Open. Or the man who outlasted a near washout at Augusta to win the 2023 Masters in a runaway.
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That’s who Jon Rahm is.
But that’s not who Jon Rahm has been, at least not for the better part of two years.
That is, until the middle of this warm Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow.
Rahm knew the situation, knew exactly where he stood. A tap-in birdie on No. 10 brought him to within one stroke of Scottie Scheffler. Now a 15-footer on 11 was dropping in, pushing him to 3-under on the day, 9-under for the tournament. The PGA Championship was officially tied and, a few holes behind Rahm, a supposedly unstoppable Scheffler was looking unthinkably vulnerable.
Rahm balled his right hand in a fist and let it fly. One day earlier, after his third round, the 30-year-old told reporters he was “about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation.” Now here he was, in position to steal the story. It would be him storming his way to a third career major victory, not Scheffler.
“It was really close,” Rahm said later, in front of a handful of reporters, as Quail Hollow waited for Scheffler to finish the 18th hole and hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. “God, it’s been a while since I had that much fun on a golf course.”
Close, sure, but the moment was fleeting. Rahm did not win the 2025 PGA. Instead he narrowly missed back-to-back birdie puts on holes 12 and 13, then missed a perfect approach into the short par-4 14th by about a foot, finding a bunker. He settled for par, then did the same on 15, wasting a par-5 opportunity with a poor third shot. Finally, pressing to keep pace with a surging Scheffler, a series of wrong turns ended with Rahm lost in a dreadful 5-over finishing stretch: bogey, double-bogey, double-bogey.
A series of missed putts ended Rahm’s chances to win. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Rahm admitted afterward the moment got to him. He needed to rise to it and he didn’t.
“If there’s ever somebody that tells you nerves weren’t a part of it, they’re clearly lying,” Rahm said of navigating the close of a major. “It’s the main thing we do as a professional sport; it’s controlling what goes through your mind.”
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He added: “Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah. But I just need to get over it, get over myself. It’s not the end of the world.”
In the aftermath of Scheffler’s five-stroke win, it’s hard to believe anyone else could’ve reasonably won, but Rahm was right there. A stunning comeback wasn’t far-fetched. Six players have come from more than five shots back in the final round to win a PGA Championship. Justin Thomas did so only three years ago at Southern Hills.
Rahm shared a prolonged hug with his wife, Kelley, after leaving the course. He buried his head in her shoulder, then stared at the ground for a while. After signing his scorecard, he spoke to both digital and print media in both English and Spanish. He owned up to an opportunity missed.
He also said that, despite the disappointment, his final round and his whole week in Charlotte produced a lot of positives. This was the first time he had a reasonable chance to win on a Sunday at a major since the 2023 Masters. Because of the late implosion, he finished in a nine-way tie for eighth place, but the result doesn’t match what played out.
Since Rahm left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in late 2023, he’s faced a growing narrative that his play on a less competitive tour has come to impact his play in major tournaments. He pushed back on the notion on Saturday, blaming only himself.
“Me going to LIV and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with (his performance in majors),” he said. “My swing was simply not at the level it had to be for me to compete. It’s easier to post a score on non-major championship courses and venues, and I think when you get to the biggest stages like this one and these courses, those flaws are going to get exposed, and it did.”
On one hand you could say this week validated that.
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On the other hand you could also say Sunday proved maybe Rahm lacks a certain edge he once wielded. He’s the one who late Sunday pointed out, “I think it’s the first time I’ve been in position to win a major that close and haven’t done it.”
Maybe some clarity will come four weeks from now. The U.S. Open is heading to Oakmont. Another big stage for Rahm to show who he is.
(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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