By Frank Pingue
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) -Jon Rahm gave Scottie Scheffler a bit of a scare during the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday and, while he walked away empty-handed after a stunning collapse, he said he is taking plenty of positives from his performance.
In his best showing at a major since joining LIV Golf in December 2023, Rahm held a share of the back-nine lead with world number one Scheffler but was unable to produce the shots he needed when the stakes got higher.
The Spaniard missed birdie putts at the 14th and 15th and then completely came apart as he played the treacherous water-lined three-hole closing stretch known as the Green Mile where he followed a bogey with two double-bogeys.
“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,” said Rahm.
“It’s not like I’m a doctor or a first responder, where somebody if they have a bad day, truly bad things happen. I’ll get over it. I’ll move on. Again, there’s a lot more positive than negative to think about this week.”
Rahm, looking to add a third major after winning the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters, seemed to have all the momentum early on the back nine. Even when Scheffler jumped back in front the Spaniard had his chances.
When Rahm looks back at his final round, he will certainly regret the two birdie putts he badly misread at the 14th and 15th holes which offered the last great chance to make a move before the Green Mile.
“If there’s ever a time where it felt like it was slipping away to an extent, it was not birdieing 14 and 15; that was definitely the mistake, before, obviously, finishing poorly,” said Rahm.
Despite a closing two-over-par 73 that dropped him into a share of eighth place, seven shots back off Scheffler, Rahm said it was the most fun he’s had on a golf course in a while and is already looking forward to the June 12-15 U.S. Open.
“A lot of positive to take from this week,” said Rahm.
“Pretty fresh wound right now. But there’s been a lot of good happening this week and a lot of positive feelings to take for the rest of the year.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Neil Fullick)
