Kevin Kisner Calls Out Jon Rahm’s Decline: Is LIV Golf Hurting the Stars?

Kevin Kisner Calls Out Jon Rahm’s Decline: Is LIV Golf Hurting the Stars?

🔥 Is LIV Golf making top players worse?
The debate is louder than ever — and Kevin Kisner has just thrown gasoline on the fire.

On Trey Wingo’s show, Kisner broke down why he believes golfers like Jon Rahm are struggling at the majors since joining LIV. Wingo even argued that Bryson DeChambeau is the only LIV star who’s actually improved. And the numbers back it up.

Kisner didn’t hold back:

💬 “Playing against 54 guys on soft setups doesn’t prepare you for Bethpage Black. It’s eye-opening.”
💬 “I don’t think they’re doing themselves any justice.”

Jon Rahm, who was World No. 3 when he signed a $500M LIV deal, has been consistent in LIV events but far from his dominant PGA Tour form. His best major finish since joining? T5 at the 2025 PGA Championship.

And here’s the kicker — the data is brutal:

📉 14 of 18 LIV golfers saw their major strokes-gained averages drop since switching.
📉 Rahm fell from 2.58 SG to just 1.5 SG per round.
📉 Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Patrick Reed also declined.
📈 The only players showing slight improvement? Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton.

Even golf analyst Brandel Chamblee says LIV’s lighter schedule and easier courses are costing players major sharpness.

But Rahm isn’t having it.

He insists LIV isn’t the problem:
💬 “Me going to LIV had nothing to do with my major results.”
He points to strong finishes at The Open 2024 (T7), 2025 U.S. Open (T7), and 2025 PGA (T8), and notes he was inconsistent long before his LIV switch.

So… who’s right?

🔥 Is LIV’s 14-event, no-cut schedule hurting top players?
🔥 Are softer setups and smaller fields creating “false confidence”?
🔥 Or is Rahm right that form simply fluctuates?

In today’s video, we break down the stats, the arguments, the data, and what it means for Rahm, LIV, and the future of men’s golf.

👇 Subscribe for more unfiltered golf insights, breakdowns, and major coverage!
🔔 Turn on notifications for instant updates.

#JonRahm #LIVGolf #KevinKisner #BrysonDeChambeau #PGATour #GolfNews #BrandelChamblee #GolfDebate #GolfMajors #SportsAnalysis

is joining Elivy Golf hurting players performance. The debate has been raging for years, but Kevin Kner’s recent appearance on Trey Wingo’s show has lit the fire again, especially after the two discussed John Rom’s noticeable dip at the major since switching to LIV. During their conversation, Wingo claimed that Bryson Dashambo is the only LIV golfer who has maintained elite form since joining the Saudi back league. To illustrate his point, he referenced John Rahm’s decline on golf’s biggest stages. Knisser didn’t hold back. Well, when you’re playing against 54 guys instead of 150 and you’re playing on golf courses that are not nearly the quality that we play week in and week out on the PGA Tour and then you show up to a Beth Page Black, it’s probably pretty eye opening, Kissner told Wingo. Oh, my game’s not where I thought it was when I hit wedges on every hole last week and now I’ve got to hit it in this really tight fairway or out of 6in rough and the greens are hard and fast. Excuse me. I don’t think they’re doing themselves any justice by helping their games where they’re playing now. When Rahm joined LIIV, he was number three in the world and reportedly received a massive $500 million deal. While he has played solidly in LIIV events, his results in the majors have dipped. His best showing came at the 2025 PGA Championship where he tied for fifth. Rahm himself admitted that his swing flaws were exposed at majors, but insisted he’s getting closer to another major win. Elivy undoubtedly features some of golf’s biggest names. Phil Mickelson, Rahm Bryson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Kepka, Sergio Garcia, Wen Neman, and more. But critics say the league simply doesn’t offer the pressure or competitiveness needed to stay sharp. Knisser echoed that sentiment. I’m only playing 14 times a year, and I’m playing 54 holes against 54 guys without a cut, so I’m not practicing as much. It wouldn’t motivate me to get out there and really grind. I know that, he said. He added that Eli golfers do have the talent to excel anywhere when they’re in top form, but the ease of the schedule works against them. With just 14 events, no cuts, and only six relegation spots, the urgency is low. That lack of pressure, Kner argued, can dampen an athletes edge over time. That he’s not the only one making this case. Golf analyst Brandle Shambbley said after the 2025 PGA Championship that the quality of LIIV competition is hurting both John Roms and Bryson de Shambo’s major performances. The data supports this view. A chart shared by Ron Clauss before the 2025 PGA Championship revealed a stark trend. Of the 18 LIIV players who appeared in at least three majors since joining the league, 14 saw their major strokes gained averages drop compared to the three years prior. For Rom, his SG per round fell from 2.58 to just 1.5. Only Bryson Dashambo and TL Hatton showed minor improvements. Major champions such as Kepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Patrick Reed also experienced declines. Rum Liv isn’t a problem. Despite the mounting criticism, Rum insists LIIV golf is not the cause of his struggles. Migun li and playing worse in majors had nothing to do with where I was playing golf. He said after the 2025 PGA Championship. Rom pointed to several strong finishes to support his claim. T7 at the Open in 2024, T7 to 2025 US Open and T8 at the 2025 PGA Championship. He also reminded fans that even after winning the 2023 Masters, he didn’t play well again until the Ryder Cup later that year. Long before he joined LIIV that the INROM’s view, the ups and downs began before his move to the Saudi backed league. S ROM’s results continue to fluctuate. Opinions remain sharply divided. ISLIV’s lighter schedule and weaker competitive environment hurting players of the majors or are the struggles simply part of golf’s natural form cycles? Kevin Kner and Trey Wingo believe. The answer is obvious. John Rum believes it’s not and the golf world is left debating whether LIIV structure is creating a performance gap or whether the data only tells part of the story.