Jon Rahm breaks silence after U.S. Open disaster: "That's what hurts the most"

Jon Rahm insisted he didn't play badly at the 2026 U.S. Open despite missing the cut at the third men's major of the year. 

The 31-year-old Spaniard arrived at Shinnecock Hills in Long Island, New York, as one of the pre-tournament favourites to clinch the gold medal. 

But he was among the high-profile players to exit stage left after 36 holes, carding rounds of 68 and 78 to miss the cut by three. 

"It bothers me more because I genuinely don't feel like I played badly," he told Spanish outlet Ten Golf. "I don't feel like I did as badly as the final score suggests."

Rahm finished the first round in a great position on two-under and was nipping at heels of leader Wyndham Clark halfway through his second round. 

But he collapsed in dramatic fashion, shipping six shots in five holes on the back nine to play his way out of the weekend. 

Video footage showed the 2021 U.S. Open champion kicking his driver three times during his collapse after hitting an errant tee shot. It followed a loud F-bomb. 

Some felt Rahm was fortunate to escape a penalty, given Joaquin Niemann was docked two shots for tossing his gap wedge 50 yards into the fescue. 

Niemann became the first golfer to be penalised under a new code of conduct introduced for the major championships in 2026. 

The Chilean, 27, was punished for "serious misconduct" under Rule 1.2b. He made a nine on the sixth, but his score was later changed to an 11. 

"I that's what hurts the most," Rahm added. "Because if you had told me on the fifth hole, after hitting the shot I hit, that I was going to finish at eight over, honestly I wouldn't have believed it.

"I felt pretty good, so I'll have to see what happened.

"It's not that I hit bad putts; they just didn't want to go in. They were bouncing quite a bit, given how the greens are, and I think on the greens it was a bit of bad luck.

"I hit some very good putts. Look, in the first 18 holes today I didn't miss one, and in the second 18 I hit them just as well.

"They looked like they were going in, and right at the end they were missing by nothing, half a metre, and they all went off to the side.

"It is a difficult course, even though they say the fairways are wide and it's soft, it's a difficult course. 

"It it windier than it seems on TV and the greens are much more undulating. They are not easy. They've put more flags in corners this afternoon."

Rahm was one of 13 LIV Golf players in the field at the U.S. Open.

Bryson DeChambeau, Carlos Ortiz, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Smith, David Puig and Graeme McDowell were sent packing. 

Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Laurie Cnater, Caleb Surratt, Peter Uihlein advanced to the weekend.

Rahm will now have a short break before heading to The Renaissance Club for the Genesis Scottish Open. 

The $9m DP World Tour event is being staged a week before The Open at Royal Birkdale.