"That's a huge step forward," – Analyst says Jon Rahm's game is nearly back to pre-LIV level after PGA Championship

Jon Rahm recently showed signs of returning to form with a T8 finish at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. The former World No. 1, who won the 2023 Masters and 2021 U.S. Open, hasn’t looked the same since joining LIV Golf circuit but his performance in Charlotte hinted at a turning point.

Rahm stayed in contention for most of the tournament but struggled on the back nine in the final round. After making the turn even-par for the day, he posted one birdie, one bogey, and two double bogeys to shoot 73. He finished at 4-under for the week, seven shots behind Scottie Scheffler, who won at 11-under.

Despite the late-round struggles, Golf Channel analyst Rex Hoggard viewed Rahm’s week as a step in the right direction. Speaking on the Golf Channel podcast, Hoggard said ( 26:30 onwards):

"I think that is a huge step forward for him. It shows that his game is back to somewhere close to where it was before he joined LIV Golf."

Rahm joined LIV Golf in late 2023. Since then, his performances in majors have dropped, and he’s slipped to No. 72 in the Official World Golf Ranking due to a lack of ranking points. In 2024, he missed the cut at the PGA Championship, finished T45 at the Masters and T7 at The Open.

His 2025 major season started with a T14 at Augusta. Notably, Quail Hollow marked his first top-10 finish in a major since joining LIV.

Hoggard also pointed out that Rahm played the final three holes in five-over-par, but still praised his effort:

"Even in the devastating defeat on Sunday at Quail Hollow, you could still see the fire burn."

Jon Rahm qualified for the 2025 PGA Championship through his wins at the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters, which earned him a five-year exemption into the event.

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How has Jon Rahm performed in the LIV Golf circuit this season so far?

Jon Rahm has been one of the most consistent players on the LIV Golf circuit this season. Although he hasn’t secured a win yet, he’s finished inside the top-10 in all seven of his starts and currently sits third in the season standings.

Rahm started his season in Riyadh with a strong runner-up finish courtesy of a 15 under par score. He followed that with a solo sixth at Adelaide (7-under) and a T6 in Hong Kong (11-under). In Singapore, he posted a T5 finish with a score of 9 under.

His worst result came in Miami, where he finished T9 with 1-over-par. He bounced back in Mexico with a solo fourth at 12 under. Before teeing it up at the PGA Championship, Jon Rahm wrapped up his LIV Golf appearance in Korea with a T6 finish at 7-under-par.