What next for Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau after dismal Masters?

Going into The Masters, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm were widely tipped - and expected - to do well at the season’s first major. The American was one of the favourites to add to his major tally but it all went horribly wrong for him.

DeChambeau had won the two most recent LIV tournaments in some style, while Rahm has finished in the top 10 in every LIV event (bar one where he was T11th) since his high-profile and financially life-changing defection.

Since joining LIV in February 2022, DeChambeau has won the US Open in 2024 and has picked up five titles on the LIV Tour. He has also twice finished runner-up at the US PGA Championship and tied sixth and tied fifth at The Masters and tied 10th at The Open.

Rahm won the US Open in 2021 and The Masters in 2023 while a member of the PGA Tour. 

In late 2023 he announced that he was joining LIV after being lured with a mouthwatering signing-on fee and he has since won three times on the breakaway tour that resumes this week in Mexico.

But for a player of his standing and ability, his record in the majors has been miserable. He has managed just three top 10 finishes, with a best of tied seventh at the 2024 Open and tied seventh at the 2025 US Open. For a player of his ability, it is not good enough, and perhaps it is time to start asking why. Rahm should be contending.

Bryson DeChambeau Missed Augusta Cut

DeChambeau failed to make the cut at Augusta.

You may remember that he once said that he regarded Augusta as a par 67 on account of the distance he hits the ball - a comment he has since surely come to regret. 

In round one of the 2026 Masters he took three shots to escape from a greenside bunker. But he came to the final hole in round two knowing that he only needed a bogey to make the weekend. 

He hit his drive into the trees, found a greenside bunker with his second, took two shots to escape and a further three to get the ball in the hole. It all added up to a triple-bogey seven and another weekend to ponder what had gone wrong.

Why is Jon Rahm Struggling in The Majors?

(Image Credit: Mateo Villalba/LIV Golf)

Rahm’s hopes ended with an opening round of 78 during which he looked utterly lost and bewildered. A second round of 70 meant he scraped into the weekend and he eventually finished the tournament on one over par - 13 strokes behind winner Rory McIlroy.

LIV have made much of the huge crowds that attended their tournaments in Australia and South Africa and while that may be true, you have to question the difficulty of the courses they are playing. 

DeChambeau won in South Africa with a 72-hole total of 26 under par, Rahm was 23 under in winning in Hong Kong, Elvis Smylie was 24 under in Riyadh and Anthony Kim 23 under in Adelaide.

LIV golfers know they can have a lash at the ball on most of these courses in the knowledge that they will not get into trouble. Courses used for majors are a different kettle of fish - and you simply cannot score well at Augusta National if you are playing most of your second shots from the trees.

Yes they have finally extended their playing format to 72 holes but there is still no 36-hole cut and the fields are small. I am not a fan of the PGA Tour’s Signature events for precisely the same reasons. Making the cut creates its own sense of drama and that is lacking.

The best LIV finisher at Augusta was England's Tyrrell Hatton in a tie for third. Dustin Johnson was on level par. Sergio Garcia smashed a tee-box, a water cooler and his driver on the way to a final round of 75 and an eight-over par total. Bubba Watson and Tom McKibbin both missed the cut. Cam Smith has now missed six consecutive major cuts.

Does LIV Golf Offer Suitable Major Preparation?

I cannot help but think that Rahm has done himself few favours by refusing to follow the example of his fellow LIV players and coming to an agreement with the DP World Tour that would allow him to take part in some proper tournaments played on testing golf courses with a 36-hole cut.

I always felt that Rahm would struggle in the majors after his defection because he is a golfer who needs proper competition. 

It is interesting to note that DeChambeau has not ruled out a return to the PGA Tour when his LIV contract expires - perhaps he has also come to the conclusion that he needs to once again test his game in a proper competitive environment. 

Not so long ago, it would have been unthinkable for Europe to head into a Ryder Cup without Rahm but he now definitely needs to raise his game if he is to justify his selection.