Jon Rahm closed out his appearance at Maaden LIV Golf Virginia with another display of competitiveness and consistency. The golfer from Barrika finished tied for eighth at Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C., in Sterling, Virginia, on fifteen under par after rounds of 69, 70, 65 and 69.
It was not Jon’s brightest week in terms of directly contending for victory, but he once again left very positive signs. Rahm found a way to finish inside the top ten, remain among the best players in the field and produce one of the most spectacular moments of the tournament: an albatross on the 17th hole during the final round.
Sunday’s finish had a little bit of everything. Rahm started strongly, with a birdie on the 1st and an eagle on the 2nd, a fast start that allowed him to build early momentum. More difficult moments followed, particularly with a bogey on the 5th and a double bogey on the 10th, as well as dropped shots on the 13th and 14th. However, the Basque player never stopped fighting and produced a magnificent response down the stretch.
The standout shot of the week came on the par-5 17th. After sending his tee shot into the right rough, Rahm holed his second shot from more than 190 metres to record an albatross. It was the first albatross of his professional career and one of the most special moments of the LIV Golf season. It was the kind of shot that remains forever in the memory of a tournament.
That two on the par 5 allowed him to close with a final round of 69, three under par, and secure a place inside the top ten. Rahm finished tied for eighth alongside Scott Vincent and Joaquin Niemann, nine shots behind champion Lucas Herbert, who won in commanding fashion on 24 under par. Sergio Garcia was second on 20 under, with Bryson DeChambeau completing the podium on 19 under.
Jon’s best round came on Saturday, with a superb 65 that moved him back into the upper part of the leaderboard. That day he made six birdies and an eagle, giving back only one bogey and one double bogey, in a scorecard that reflected both his ability to create plenty of chances and his competitive persistence even in a week of ups and downs.
In the team standings, Legion XIII, the team captained by Rahm, was also in the fight once again. The line-up of Jon, Tyrrell Hatton, Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin finished in third place, just one shot behind 4Aces GC and Fireballs GC, who tied at the top before the team title was decided in a playoff.
Virginia ultimately delivered another solid result for Rahm in a season defined by his remarkable consistency. The victory did not come, but there was another top ten, a steady performance and a historic shot that neatly summed up the Spanish player’s ability to produce extraordinary moments even when the week does not end with a trophy in his hands.