Jon Rahm brutally branded 'irrelevant' as LIV Golf slump tipped to continue at The Open

Golf pundit Eamon Lynch has delivered a scathing critique of Jon Rahm's performance since his move to LIV Golf, describing him as a "competitive irrelevance" at major championships.

Lynch pointed out Rahm's lackluster showings , particularly ahead of The Open, noting that the Spaniard has been struggling for form ever since he inked a reported $575m deal with the Saudi Arabia-backed tour.

Rahm's difficulties were highlighted by his withdrawal from the US Open due to a foot injury, adding to his disappointing run in the majors. Lynch remarked on the stark contrast to Rahm's previous year, where he won The Masters and was a consistent contender in majors, suggesting that his slump might be tied to his switch to LIV Golf.

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"To me the biggest story is Jon Rahm," Lynch commented on the lead-up to The Open. "I know he withdrew from Pinehurst with a foot injury earlier that week but he's been a competitive irrelevance in the major championships so far this year.

"A guy who won The Masters and contended in two other major championships [last year] and was such a storyline every time we went to a major championship.

"The game just hasn't been there. Perhaps it's a coincidence that it's happened after he went to LIV Golf. You know, every one has slump years and maybe this is just his.

"But to me, a guy who finished tied second in The Open last year [and] going back there this year having performed pretty miserably by his standards in major championships, to me, is the storyline."

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Rahm has pushed back against detraction about his showing. He considers that news outlets have spurred a negative outlook of his performances at this year's major championships.

"Yeah, I'm in a happy place. It's not like I've been playing bad, even though a lot of you (journalists) make it sound like I'm playing bad. I had two bad weeks," stated last month's 2023 Masters champion.

'I've been top 10 and had a chance to win in most of the tournaments I've played, and then unfortunately Augusta and PGA wasn't my best showings. But yeah, I'm happy."