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OAKMONT, Pennsylvania: Two-time major champion Jon Rahm comes into the US Open off another top 10 at LIV Golf, which is nothing new. The Spaniard has never come in lower in the 20 events he has finished since joining the Saudi-backed league at the start of last year.
Is that a big deal?
鈥淚 would happily trade a bunch of them for more wins, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� said Rahm, who has two LIV victories but has yet to win this year. 鈥淏ut I keep putting myself in good position.鈥�
One of the criticism of LIV is the 54-man fields over 54 holes, especially with a half-dozen or more considered past their prime and several unproven young players.
Rahm delivered some context on his streak.
鈥淟isten, I鈥檓 a realist in this case,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been playing really good golf, yes, but I鈥檇 be lying if I said that it wasn鈥檛 easier to have top 10s with a smaller field. That鈥檚 just the truth, right? Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No. But I鈥檝e been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25.鈥�
He considered that impressive, and he figures most of those would be top 10s.
Rahm tied for eighth last week in Virginia without ever having a serious chance of winning over the final few holes. He said against a full field, he doubts that would have been a top 10.
鈥淚 think winning is equally as hard, but you can take advantage of a smaller field to finish higher,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn鈥檛 always give it as the full amount just knowing that it鈥檚 a smaller field.鈥�
DeChambeau and LIV
Bryson DeChambeau says the contract he signed to join Saudi-funded LIV Golf is up next year and he鈥檚 already looking ahead to a new one.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to negotiate end of this year, and I鈥檓 very excited. They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we鈥檒l come to some sort of resolution on that,鈥� DeChambeau said Tuesday. 鈥淪uper excited for the future.鈥�
LIV contracts are confidential and there has been ample speculation whether the Public Investment Fund will shell out the kind of signing bonuses that helped lure players away from the PGA Tour in 2022.
Meanwhile, unification with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf appears at a standstill as PIF officials want any future to include team golf.
鈥淚 think that LIV is not going anywhere,鈥� DeChambeau said.
He said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor behind the rival league, 鈥渉as been steadfast in his belief on team golf, and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it鈥檚 a viable option.鈥�
DeChambeau believes LIV is going in the right direction and referenced the indoor tech-infused TGL as having teams making money.
鈥淚 believe there is a sustainable model out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow it all works with the game of golf, who knows? But I know my worth.鈥�
Xander and YouTube
Xander Schauffele might spend less time on his phone than anyone, usually only scrolling through the news. A few weeks ago at the Memorial, during a rapid-fire series of random questions, he was asked who he would take with him on 鈥淭he Amazing Race鈥� reality show.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 鈥楾he Amazing Race,鈥欌€� he asked.
So when he was told about Tommy Fleetwood鈥檚 latest venture with YouTube and asked if he would considering doing something like that, Schauffele replied, 鈥淚s that like a serious question?鈥�
But he has spent time on YouTube for a reason. Schauffele made his US Open debut in 2017, the year after the Open at Oakmont. What better way to check out the course than watching a US Open at Oakmont?
鈥淚 watched some of the 鈥�16 coverage on YouTube. I would have watched it on any platform that would have been provided, but I watched some of that coverage there just to see sort of how guys were hitting shots and how the ball was reacting,鈥� Schauffele said.
Turns out that wasn鈥檛 his first experience on YouTube.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in dark places where I鈥檝e looked up swing tip things on YouTube as well, trying to make sense of it, just like every golfer has. I鈥檒l confess to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 luckily not there anymore, which is probably healthy for myself and my family.
鈥淵eah, there鈥檚 a lot on there, I can tell you that much.鈥�
Rory and his driver
Rory McIlroy expressed concern about his driver after badly missing the cut in the Canadian Open, his last tournament ahead of the US Open.
He said he worked at home over the weekend and realized he was using the wrong driver. And he was coy about which one he was using, suggesting that people could always go to the range to find out for themselves.
McIlroy got plenty of attention with his driver when it was leaked at the PGA Championship that his driver did not pass inspection. It鈥檚 a common occurrence, and testing takes place randomly at every major. Scottie Scheffler also had to change drivers after his didn鈥檛 pass the test. He wound up winning by five shots.
So was that a problem for McIlroy at the PGA Championship?
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a big deal for Scottie,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淪o it shouldn鈥檛 have been a big deal for me.鈥�
The best honorary member
Dustin Johnson had not played Oakmont since the won the US Open in 2016. That鈥檚 not to say he hasn鈥檛 been back to the fabled club. Oakmont Country Club honors its major champions by offering them honorary membership.
Johnson went back a few years later for the honor, going to a dinner and getting his green jacket .
Honorary membership has its privileges that Johnson doesn鈥檛 use.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably their favorite member because I never come,鈥� he said.
Oakmont need not to be offended. Johnson was asked how many clubs he had honorary membership and he didn鈥檛 bother counting.
鈥淨uite a few,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 use very many, either.鈥�