Honestly, it’s hard to say where Jon Rahm stands with his game. This year, he’s competed in five LIV Golf events (six if you count LIV Golf Mexico), finishing in the top 10 every time. However, his play at Augusta National didn’t quite match that level, with opening rounds of 75 and 71. Now, following a T14 finish at the Masters, Rahm is back with another encouraging update.

At the LIV Golf Miami’s post-round press conference, Rahm talked about his game. Interestingly, Bryson DeChambeau exited the press conference early to watch Rahm putt. And the interviewer mentioned that to the Spaniard while asking him about his game. He first said, “Thank you. Likewise to Bryson because clearly he’s had a few good weeks and continues today,” mentioning DeChambeau, who shot seven birdies and one eagle at the first round of LIV Golf Mexico and is currently leading the charge.

Continuing, he added, “Yeah, he’s right. I’ve been fairly comfortable the last few weeks, playing really good golf, and I’m glad today was one of those days where I finally started the tournament in a little bit of a — with a better round, and what better way to start it than with three birdies in a row?”

The Spaniard carded nine birdies in the first round at LIV Golf Mexico and is at T2. It’s certainly a better performance from Jon Rahm, considering he carded eleven bogeys in the 72 holes to finish with a 3-under-par 285 at Augusta. Had he shot like this at the Masters, the results might have been different.

Not only that, when asked about the feel of the course and holes, the 2024 US Open Champion also brought up Jon Rahm and his game.  He first talked about his performance and said, “Well, I’m definitely hitting it a little bit farther than when I was here, the few times I was here.” Later, he praised Rahm and his caddie for how they carried out the shots, saying, “Watching Jon Rahm land it short, and I know
It’s going to bounce up there; his caddie was doing something that he knew about.” 

Later, the interviewer also asked the 30-year-old what changes he implemented to play like this. To this, he responded, “Just continue working on some of the good feels I had on the weekend at Augusta, continue hammering, putting in a little bit, just a little bit of extra work, and I think obviously it paid off last week.” With this, he also admitted, “I think most of what happened is Augusta was so difficult, Miami and Augusta were so difficult, that going to Arizona, it was a little bit softer and more receptive, and the greens were a little slower.”

Last month at LIV Golf Singapore, Rahm admitted that his game is not where he wants it to be. That’s right, despite finishing T6 at Hong Kong and 6th at Adelaide, he wasn’t satisfied. While talking about it, he also admitted, “I haven’t felt as comfortable as I would like, and it’s shown in my wedge game, especially last week.”  Well, it looks like his game is now improving, something he has always been confident about.

Jon Rahm considers himself “a top-10 player” in the world

The 30-year-old won his second major at the 2023 Masters. In the following year, he finished tied for 45th at Augusta National. Then, he missed the U.S. Open with a foot injury and didn’t make the cut at the PGA Championship. Anyone would crumble under pressure, right? Well, not really if you are Jon Rahm. Fast forward to this year at the Masters, the golfer was asked about how he feels, and he gave a strong answer.

He said, “I’m confident.  It’s a very difficult golf course. It’s going to get harder. If I can get off to a good start and post a round in the 60s tomorrow, then the weekend could be a new story.”  Take note that he remained unfazed even after carding a 75 in the first round. Speaking of confidence, when the golfer was knocked out of the top 50 in OWGR, he jokingly said, “I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world, [but] it’s hard to tell these days.”

Do you think Jon Rahm is a top-10 player? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!