After making a comeback at the Genesis Scottish Open 2026, Jon Rahm was set to play two consecutive DP World Tour events. While his Irish Open run was decent at best, the BMW PGA Championship got off to a bizarre start at Wentworth. His third stroke on the opening hole of Round 1 left broadcasters and fans struggling to believe what they saw.
“Good line for Jon Rahm. Just gives you an idea of how high the leap is. About eight feet. Little-known nippy one. Oh no. Oh that’s… Hit the middle stump. Cheepers. That is so unlucky,” the broadcast team can be heard saying in a video uploaded by the Fore Play Podcast on X.
It was the third stroke of the par-four first hole. Scheduled to tee off at 12:50 local time, the Spaniard started with a 261-yard drive that landed in the right-hand rough. He then hit a provisional ball from the tee again, and this time it landed on the fairway. On the next shot, he found the greenside bunker, where the drama unfolded.
On his third shot from the bunker, he chipped it, but it hit the flagstick, rolled back off the green, and onto the fairway, leaving 23 yards to the hole. Jon Rahm chipped it again from the fairway, then made a two-foot bogey putt.
But this wasn’t the end of challenges for the 11-time PGA Tour winner, as it seemed like he completely lost control of the game after that. Through 15 holes, he has made one birdie, four bogeys, and a double bogey since the second hole. His cumulative score so far is six-over, and he ranks 136th in a 144-member field.
This is completely opposite to Alex Noren’s title win last year. Playing at the BMW PGA Championship 2025, the Swedish professional was neck and neck with Adrien Saddier. The two entered a playoff to decide a winner. Noren admitted he got lucky with a good break on the third stroke. While he won the last edition with a favorable break, Jon Rahm has almost lost his chance to win with an unfavorable one this year.
This isn’t an isolated event, though. Tough breaks like this are part and parcel of the game, and the major champion himself saw it at the 2025 LIV Golf Indianapolis. He entered the playoff against Sebastian Muñoz. Rahm’s approach shot struck the flagstick and bounced away. This left him with a longer birdie putt, which he missed, as Muñoz won the title.
Many other professionals have faced such bad luck, too, including the veteran Tiger Woods. At the 2013 Masters, Woods hit a wedge that looked headed toward a makeable birdie opportunity on the par-five 15th. The ball struck the flagstick and ricocheted into the water. The American professional had to take a penalty drop and ultimately made a bogey.
While the opening hole was an unfortunate break for Jon Rahm, it has derailed his opening round. But the question is whether it was only because of the opening hole and today’s poor performance, or whether LIV Golf’s uncertain future affected his focus.
He still hasn’t said anything clear about his future with the rebel league.
Jon Rahm hints at his LIV Golf future
Speaking ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2026, media reporters once again asked him about his plans with LIV Golf. But instead of getting irritated by the repeated questions, he calmly reminded them they were just doing their jobs. He then responded with little clarity.
“Well, there’s a long legal process they have to go through before a lot of things fall into place. I really can’t give you an answer right now,” the Spaniard said when asked about what would have to change for him to continue with LIV Golf 2.0.
He has also said he is all in on completing his contract with LIV 1.0. However, the league has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, his previous contract could be nullified, and he may become a free agent. Only time will tell whether he stays in the rebel league amid the chaos or looks for a path back to the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour.