Coming into the 2024 Masters Tournament, Jon Rahm had enjoyed four top-ten finishes in five years at Augusta National which included winning the event in 2023. At the end of the 2024 edition, however, Rahm could only record a tie for 45th place.
It was a noticeable drop-off and questions about whether the Spaniard’s competitive drive had weakened following his defection to the comfortable environment of LIV Golf at the end of 2023 were being asked as Rahm made his way down Magnolia Lane.
Will Rahm snap out of it before the PGA Championship?
For now, the expectation is that Rahm’s underwhelming performance at the Masters was a once-off. This is especially evident in the latest golf betting UK odds where the 29-year-old is one of the favourites to win the PGA Championship in mid-May at a price of 14/1.
If you were to accept that Rahm just had an off weekend at the Masters then his odds to win the PGA Championship undoubtedly offer significant value. To that end, this bet calculator shows a stake of £10 will return £140 if Rahm can go all the way at Valhalla Golf Club.
Tellingly, anyone betting on golf in the lead-up to the 106th PGA Championship will see that only Scottie Scheffler at 7/2 and Rory McIlroy at 9/1 have better outright odds than Rahm.
Again, this suggests that the Spaniard is one to watch when the action gets underway in Kentucky. While that might be true, it is also undeniable that Rahm cut a subdued figure at the Masters and was not the ruthless competitor that the world has grown to love.
Does Rahm have ‘buyers remorse’?
Rahm’s lethargy was so evident that during the final round, the conversation on social media focused on whether the Spaniard had ‘buyers remorse’ after joining LIV Golf in a deal that earned Rahm £450 million.
Ordinarily, this would be a life-changing amount but it’s worth keeping in mind that Rahm had earned over £41 million in his PGA Tour career up until he signed with the Saudi-backed rebel league.
In other words, the financial security of his family and the generations to come after him were already secured. In short, Rahm’s life wasn’t going to change if he agreed to a deal with LIV.
To that end, perhaps McIlroy put it best when asked about why he won’t join LIV for all the riches in the world when he said that despite having over £200 million in the bank, he still only uses the same three rooms in his house.
The overall takeaway is that Rahm’s life was not going to change in a financial sense but he was set to lose what truly makes him tick: the red-hot cauldron and jeopardy of competition that only the PGA Tour can offer.
Having spent 2024 away from genuine competition, it’s no surprise that Rahm looked out of practice in an unforgiving environment where only the best are rewarded.
The future of a modern great hangs in the balance
Only time will tell whether the man dubbed ‘Rhambo’ will return to his best in the majors and whether that famous inner furnace to win has been doused. As one of the most charismatic major champions in modern times, the world can only cross its fingers that Rahm returns to the best version of himself.
