PGA Championship 2024: Jon Rahm nearly shoots self out of PGA – and then he doesn’t

Jon Rahm won a green jacket after double-bogeying the first hole.

Can he win a Wanamaker Trophy after a 4-over start through six holes?

Rahm’s disastrous start threatened to eject the two-time major-winning Spaniard from this PGA Championship at Valhalla. But Rahm raged on, erupting with six birdies the rest of the way to turn in a respectable 1-under 70. Sure, he’s eight shots off the lead, but it could’ve been much, much worse.

Rahm had to make a 10-footer just to par the first. He then missed the green on three of his next five holes, bogeying all three times. He found the dance floor at the par-4 fourth but then proceeded to three-putt from nearly 50 feet.

At that point, Rahm was beating just five of the 21 club pros in the field.

Rahm hasn’t missed a major cut since this championship in 2019. He’s gone the next 18 majors while compiling two wins, seven other top-10s and just three finishes outside the top 35 – one of those was his T-45 last month in his Masters defense.

If he avoids snapping that streak, it’s because of his fight back Thursday. Rahm got on the board with a birdie at the par-5 seventh and then added a second at the par-5 10th. He missed another green left, at the par-3 11th, giving a shot back, but rebounded by wedging to 2 feet to set up birdie at No. 13 and rolling in a 15-footer for birdie at No. 14.

Sure, there was yet another yanked approach at the par-4 16th – and a violent club throw – but Rahm salvaged par there to set up a birdie-birdie finish.

Rahm’s birdie roll at No. 17 was from 21 feet, and he got up and down at the last, sinking a 4-footer to birdie his third par-5 of the day.

At T-46 after 18 holes, Rahm isn’t in ideal territory.

But he certainly didn’t shoot himself out of the tournament when, for a moment, it looked like he could.