SoccerTransfer
Gordon among star trio that could leave Newcastle
Anthony Gordon is a target for Bayern Munich and Arsenal as he could leave Newcastle this summer.
Sky Sports1 min read
Sports
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau both claimed to be suffering from the same problem after disappointing Masters displays
TL;DR
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau both faced disappointing performances at The Masters, with ongoing discussions about the reasons behind their struggles. Despite strong seasons leading up to the tournament, neither player made a significant impact, and DeChambeau did not compete in the final round.
Photo by David Paul Morris/Augusta National/Getty Images
The inquest into what caused both Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm to have such a terrible time at The Masters is continuing.
Heading into the first major of the year, there appeared to be a good chance of a LIV Golf star emerging victorious at Augusta National, with DeChambeau and Rahm winning three times between them this year.
Ultimately, neither player was any sort of factor on Sunday. In fact, DeChambeau was not even playing in the final round.
The problem Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm face at every major
DeChambeau missed the cut. He struggled with his irons once again, while his week will be remembered for the nightmares he endured in bunkers on the 11th and 18th holes.
Rahm, meanwhile, began the final day at five over par. Ultimately, he finished in a tie for 38th.
Just one LIV player managed to finish inside the top 30 at The Masters.
It is a very bleak situation for the breakaway league. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that the LIV players appear to carry a burden into every major that they are struggling to deal with.
“I did want to point out that these are by far and away the best two players on LIV Golf and we’ve seen it, we’ve talked about the idea that going to 72 holes on LIV Golf was going to only benefit the best players. We’ve seen that, Bryson DeChambeau has won twice. Jon Rahm has won once. Jon Rahm hasn’t finished outside the top five. Both of those players have benefitted from this,” he said.
“I had made the argument that when I picked Jon Rahm to be my favourite that going to 72 holes was also going to allow him to prepare better for the major championships, because I think there is a narrative that maybe 54 holes wasn’t exactly the best way for him to prepare for major championship golf. There were a lot of reasons that I thought that Jon Rahm should have been the person to go to. I keep going back to the idea that neither one of those players showed up. Neither one of those players delivered.
Photo by David Paul Morris/Augusta National/Getty Images
“We can sit and have the debate, this isn’t LIV Golf versus the PGA Tour, because I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole, but the fact of the matter remains the PGA Tour’s top players, they did arrive. Cameron Young played really well, your Players champion. Scottie Scheffler, the world number one played really well. Rory McIlroy, the standard bearer for the PGA Tour, he ended up winning.
“We can keep going down the list. They delivered. Hatton from LIV Golf did really well as well, he finished in the top 10, I’m not taking anything away from that. But it seems like time and time again we’re having this conversation about these two players, when it comes to them getting on a stage that’s not LIV Golf, and I’ll go back to the Olympics in Paris, if you remember correctly, Jon Rahm had a pretty commanding lead, it seemed like he was destined for a gold medal, if not a medal. He was going to end up on the podium. It didn’t seem any doubt about that.
“But a colleague said, ‘this is going to be Jon Rahm’s most important round because this is the last round of the year that we’re going to remember’. Again, not getting into the LIV Golf debate, that’s not what this is about. It’s just about facts, what people remember. They remember major championships, they remember The Players Championship and they remember the Olympics in this particular. Jon Rahm played his way off the podium that way.
“I think there is an added pressure for these LIV players, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, any of the players coming from LIV Golf when they show up at the majors, I feel like they need to make a statement and in the back of their mind, they’re adding pressure to what is already a pressure-packed situation. And this is just another episode of that.”
There is likely to be little sympathy for the LIV Golf players struggling to handle the pressure
If Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy endure a difficult time at a major, no one is going to accuse the PGA Tour of being any sort of a problem.
In fact, neither Scheffler or McIlroy had played a competitive round for several weeks before The Masters. So some could say that they have found a way to prepare for Augusta National that is more beneficial than playing in a PGA Tour event.
But there is a perception that LIV is gradually hurting the likes of Rahm and DeChambeau. And it is harder to argue with that after what happened at The Masters.
The pair could not have been more impressive in the events leading into The Masters. So the concern is that it is irrelevant how they play on LIV because they cannot take that into the majors.
If they win all of the tournaments before the PGA Championship, they will still head to Aronimink with some doubts over where their games actually are.
Hoggard is right that representing LIV puts a certain number of players under the microscope. And that distraction is probably not at all helpful.
But those players made their bed when they decided to jump ship. They now have to be prepared to lie in it as long as they remain on LIV.
Q&A
What caused Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to perform poorly at The Masters?
The specific reasons for their poor performances are still under investigation, with discussions ongoing about various factors that may have contributed.
How many times have Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau won this year before The Masters?
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau have combined for three wins this year prior to The Masters.
Why was Bryson DeChambeau not playing in the final round of The Masters?
Bryson DeChambeau did not qualify for the final round due to his disappointing performance earlier in the tournament.
What were the expectations for Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm heading into The Masters?
There were high expectations for both players, as they were considered strong contenders, especially given their recent successes in the LIV Golf series.
