Jon Rahm walked out of Augusta National last week with a T-38 finish and a frank admission that he needed to change his preparation. It was his second-worst result at The Masters in 10 appearances—a tough week for the man who won the green jacket just three years ago—but he bounced back really quickly.

Days later, he won LIV Golf Mexico City by six shots with a bogey-free performance. “If you would have told me last week on Thursday afternoon that I’d be winning by a six-shot margin this week, I would not have believed you because of how bad I played,” Rahm said after his second win of the season and fourth overall on LIV. The result pushed him into the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking, marking a climb of over 75 places in roughly three months. For a player who had been publicly critical of how the ranking system treated LIV Golf, it serves as validation.

Rahm’s climb is remarkable, given his starting point. He concluded the 2023 season ranked No. 3 in the world after winning four tournaments, including The Masters. The issue was straightforward: because LIV events did not award ranking points, his ranking could only fall, regardless of his performance on the tour. His only chance to improve his ranking relied on participating in major tournaments and a few select events on the DP World Tour, which occur only a handful of times each year. By early 2025, he had fallen outside the top 50 for the first time since 2017. By February 2026, he found himself ranked 97th in the world.

On February 3, LIV Golf received its first accreditation from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). However, there was a significant condition: only the top 10 finishers in each 57-player field would earn points. Winning a LIV event grants a player approximately 23 ranking points, which is comparable to a victory on the DP World Tour, but less than half of what is awarded for a typical PGA Tour event. Rahm criticized this limitation as unfair, stating, “It seems like the rules that have only been in place aren’t really applied to us, with only 10 of us getting points.” Nonetheless, he was in the best position among players on tour to take advantage of the available points.

Rahm immediately began to capitalize on the new system. A runner-up finish at LIV Riyadh vaulted him 30 spots to 67th, and another second place at LIV Adelaide quickly pushed him to 54th, demonstrating his consistent high-level play. He was climbing the rankings without even securing a win. Then came March in Hong Kong, where Rahm closed with a 6-under 64 to win at 23-under, ending an 18-month individual win drought. This drought largely stemmed from LIV not offering ranking points to chase, no cuts to make, and a lack of urgency typically associated with traditional leaderboards. His victory in Hong Kong vaulted him to 36th, and he continued his ascent with a top-five finish in Singapore and a playoff appearance in South Africa, solidifying his return to the world’s elite. Nevertheless, another podium finish earned him more points, and he continued to rise in the rankings.

By the time Augusta week arrived in 2026, Jon Rahm was leading all male professionals in Strokes Gained, just ahead of Scottie Scheffler by a narrow margin. However, his performance at Augusta did not reflect that. He hit less than 60 percent of his greens throughout the week, finished outside the top 35, and left without earning any ranking points.