“One of the biggest collapses of the year”- Brandel Chamblee bashes Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm experienced a devastating turn of events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, losing out on a podium finish despite holding a four-shot lead halfway through the final round. Ultimately, Rahm finished tied for fifth place alongside Rory McIlroy.

The gold medal went to Scottie Scheffler, who staged an impressive comeback from six shots back to clinch the top spot. Tommy Fleetwood secured the silver medal, and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama took home the bronze. Golf commentator Brandel Chamblee harshly criticized Rahm’s performance, comparing it to Rory McIlroy’s earlier struggles at the US Open. In a video posted by Christian Powers of Golf Digest on X, Chamblee remarked, “Scottie Scheffler, 6 back, making the turn from the gold medal position and wins gold without a playoff. One shoots 29, Jon Rahm shoots 39. I’m gonna put that down as one of the biggest collapses, chokes of the year. Right up there with Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open.”

Rahm entered the final round tied for the lead with Xander Schauffele, who eventually faded to finish T9. After his fifth-place finish, Rahm expressed deep disappointment in himself. Reflecting on the outcome, he shared (via Brentley Romine of Golf Channel on X), “I’ve been saying all week that I would know how much this means when the tournament was over. Sometimes you know when you win, but you definitely know when you don’t win it, and this just stings on a different emotional level. Hurts right now more than I expected.”

Fans were quick to criticize Rahm, drawing parallels between his performance and McIlroy’s earlier “choke” at the US Open. Despite the setback, Rahm was the highest-finishing LIV Golf player, with Joaquin Niemann coming in second among LIV players with his T9 finish.

Below is the final leaderboard for the top golfers at the Paris Olympics:
1. Scottie Scheffler -19
2. Tommy Fleetwood -18
3. Hideki Matsuyama -17
4. Victor Perez -16
T5. Rory McIlroy -15
T5. Jon Rahm -15
7. Nicolai Hojgaard -14
8. Tom Kim -13
T9. Corey Conners -12
T9. Jason Day -12
T9. Joaquin Niemann -12
T9. Thomas Detry -12
T9. Xander Schauffele -12
T14. Wyndham Clark -11
T14. Thorbjorn Olesen -11
16. Christiaan Bezuidenhout -10
17. Erik van Rooyen -9
T18. Alejandro Tosti -8
T18. C.T. Pan -8
T18. Matteo Manassero -8
T18. Ludvig Aberg -8

Meanwhile, fellow Spanish golfer David Puig finished T40 with a score of -1. Rahm’s performance, though disappointing, remains a notable part of the 2024 Paris Olympics golf competition.