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Rahm’s water ball at 11: Is the Spaniard his own worst enemy, or should his caddie have stayed silent?
Few shots on the course have stunned golf fans and analysts alike more than Jon Rahm’s water ball on the 11th hole while leading the Players Championship on Sunday.
The exchange prior to the shot went viral on social media, which has now been removed by the PGA Tour. With his caddie, Adam Hayes, pleading for Rahm to lay up, the Spaniard pulled rank and proceeded to fire his ball into the water, in a moment of madness which proved a fatal blow in his bid to capture the Players trophy.
Immediately after the incident, announcers called the move “perplexing” as well as explaining how they “didn’t understand any of that,” referring to the seemingly rash decision made by Rahm after what appeared to be a calm and constructive assessment of the situation with his caddie.
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee went even further than those commentators, calling the fiery 24-year-old’s decision and subsequent water ball “the most baffling decision” in the history of the tournament.
Rahm, however, came to a very different conclusion to what had occurred. With the ball taking a splash, the Spaniard lost his cool and was audibly heard saying “I was so f****** sure the first time,” which could only allude to him believing that his caddie had injected some doubt into his mind, causing the error.
Another water ball at 17 sank his chances entirely, and speaking after the round, Rahm stuck to his guns, believing that he had done the right thing and confirmed how he believed that his caddie’s involvement had hindered him.
“Adam was trying to convince me to go right. When I first got to the ball, I was really sure I could do it. If you give me 10 balls, besides that one, I’ll hit the other nine on land. Unfortunately, I got a little bit of doubt in me.”
Veteran caddie Kip Henley, speaking to GolfDigest, explained that while Hayes and the rest of America knew he was suggesting the right thing, he had no choice but to back down.
“Ninety-eight percent of America looks at that and knows Adam was making the right call. Birdie is great, but par doesn’t kill you, and a good caddie is able to look at the situation without as much emotion as the player.
“The whole time you’re fighting you better be aware where your guy is leaning because if you know he’s not coming over, you need to start backpedaling. You then need to make him feel like it’s a good decision. Everybody does that. You read your guy, and you find a way to change your tune.”
How the incident will affect their future working relationship remains to be seen. But Rahm’s refusal to accept that he may have been better served by listening to his caddie while speaking after the event is only likely to ignite the doubts over the Spaniard’s impetuous temperament.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Cebe Jansen
Mar 21, 2019 at 3:12 am
Playing strategically is not yet one of his strong points. When he develops this, he will win more regularly.
Dwind
Mar 20, 2019 at 4:54 pm
Did Rahm ask for his caddies advice?
Haston Thornton
Mar 20, 2019 at 4:45 pm
I am a long time caddie and still do. Our job as a caddie is to give our opinion,not just to carry the bag. Not to try and convinced the player to do what we think is a better play. I would have said if you hit it to the right. You can still make a birdie or par,if you hit the shot you want to hit. We could lose a stroke or two. And I would have listened to his thought’s and probably would not have said another word. Now its up to him and we found out that I had a stroke saving idea. In this crazy game Low Score Wins,period.
Andrew Taylor
Mar 20, 2019 at 4:23 pm
I would bet $10,000 that Rahm wouldn’t put 9 out of 10 on the green.. who does he think he’s kidding? Only himself.
hrfdez
Mar 20, 2019 at 4:08 pm
At the end of the day, the player is responsible for hitting the shot, period!
Ballzo
Mar 20, 2019 at 3:25 pm
I remember seeing that all play out. Before he made the decision to go for it I was thinking to myself how hard that shot looked. Bunker, keep it under the trees, water and draw it 20 yards. Even on TV it looked impossible. I was really shocked when he said he was going to hit it. His caddy did the right thing and he maybe should have done more obviously.
OnInTwo
Mar 21, 2019 at 12:43 pm
You forgot to add that the wind was against the shot. In other words, he was playing a draw shot into a slice wind. A two club wind, I think. His shot was short by at least that much. As the adage says “Over water add a club or add two balls.”
Jim
Mar 20, 2019 at 3:18 pm
If I was his caddie I would look for another bag. Rahm is going to fire you eventually , get the upper hand on him before it is too late.
Rahmbo
Mar 20, 2019 at 9:41 am
Never been a fan of Rahm. I don’t understand why so some people would say he’s fiery when it’s a temper problem. Sure the guy has skills but a good role model for golf. Blames everyone and everything else things don’t go his way.
Rahmbo
Mar 20, 2019 at 1:26 pm
*Sure the guy has skills but NOT a good role model for golf*
dave
Mar 20, 2019 at 9:18 am
will be rooting against rahm from now on……when you throw your caddie under the bus for some an idiotic decision you made….
C
Mar 20, 2019 at 3:13 am
Why have a caddy who interjects. He should hire a different caddy who doesn’t say anything at all then
Peter McGill
Mar 22, 2019 at 4:32 am
Then they would be call a Yes Man… not a caddie.
Wizzo1
Mar 20, 2019 at 2:49 am
It’s easier for Rahm to choke on that shot rather than lay up and choke from 90 yards away. Now he has an excuse! Choking from 90 yards as a tour player= no excuse!
Crusher
Mar 20, 2019 at 12:07 am
Rahm f’ed up, plain and simple. Pure BS that he could 9/10 on land. He needed to land. 1/1 on land and his immense ego cost him the tourney. His caddie was 110% right in his advice so, there should be no hard feelings going forward. What Ram needed to ask himself is this: will this one shot cause me to lose the tournament or win it? At that point in the round, he did not need to make that shot to win the tourney and in fat, all he could do was lose the tourney if he did not make the shot
Crusher
Mar 20, 2019 at 12:07 am
Raymond f’ed up, plain and simple. Pure BS that he could 9/10 on land. He needed to land. 1/1 on land and his immense ego cost him the tourney. His caddie was 110% right in his advice so, there should be no hard feelings going forward. What Ram needed to ask himself is this: will this one shot cause me to lose the tournament or win it? At that point in the round, he did not need to make that shot to win the tourney and in fat, all he could do was lose the tourney if he did not make the shot
Brian
Mar 19, 2019 at 10:57 pm
Can we please rethink how Spanish golfers are described. Whether it’s true or not, every article about Rahm or Sergio (from every golf writer and commentator on the planet, to be fair) contains the word FIERY or its equivalent. I’m not denying that they don’t show emotion, but I’m not sure why the descriptor is only used for Spaniards; it’s getting tired.
F
Mar 20, 2019 at 3:15 am
Seve was fiery. JMOlazabal was fiery.
tets
Mar 19, 2019 at 8:33 pm
Rahm is a spoiled crybaby … the caddie was right.. layup, wedge on and make par at worst. He hit the shot, he made the call, he should own. He just went to the top of my least favorite sports figure list
geohogan
Mar 19, 2019 at 7:26 pm
To settle this, Rahm and Adam should go back to that bunker, when wind is blowing 15mph, left to right, as it was Sunday and let Rahm have his 10 shots at hooking the ball into the wind over the water.
If he doesnt make the shot 9 out of 10 times, he should apologize to his caddie.
Chuck
Mar 20, 2019 at 1:13 am
I love this comment.
As a complete aside… if young Tour players are going to put this sort of inordinate responsibility on caddies, then I am more glad than ever that the Rules of Golf are cracking down on things like caddies lining players up.
Radim Pavlicek
Mar 20, 2019 at 4:09 am
You cannot win an argument over your wife even if you know you are right…
Alex
Mar 19, 2019 at 6:58 pm
Video is still on PGA Tour Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1107442996092362752?s=19
Chuck
Mar 20, 2019 at 1:20 am
Nope. Not any more. Thanks, PGA Tour.
Robert
Mar 19, 2019 at 6:09 pm
Obviously Rahm has not seen the Colin Montgomery video in which Colin says you only hit the shot after you have removed all negative thoughts.
HKO
Mar 19, 2019 at 4:11 pm
as much as i believe that any player would have agreed to what the caddie—who’d usually be with a bit more objectivity to the situation in general—had to say, i tent to not care too much about the specific player. what a big deal that he splashed and blamed his caddie for infusing a doubt to his mind? grow the eff up. plenty other players to support and cheer in PGA. moving on.