Jon Rahm has admitted that his lofty finishes in LIV Golf so far this season, which has smaller fields, should not necessarily be taken as a sign that he's playing his very best golf.
The Spaniard has finished inside the top-10 in each of the eight LIV Golf events this season, but he was quick to put those performances into perspective given that LIV has 54-man fields with no cuts.
"Listen, I'm a realist in this case. I've been playing really good golf, yes, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't easier to have top 10s with a smaller field," Rahm said at his US Open press conference.
"That's just the truth, right? Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No.
"But I've been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25, which for 21 straight tournaments I'd say that's pretty good."
Rahm joined the Saudi-backed circuit at the end of 2023, the same year he won The Masters in a reported $350 million multiyear deal.
The 30-year-old's switch to LIV remains one of the breakaway tour's most significant signings, but Rahm was quick to receive criticism when his performances in the Majors dipped the following year.
Rahm finished in a tie for 45th when he defended his Masters title in 2024 and then missed the cut at the PGA Championship, before enjoying a decent week at The Open.
Now, after settling into life on LIV, the 2021 US Open champion appears to be back on track and approaching somewhere near his best form.
"I think winning is equally as hard, but you can take advantage of a smaller field to finish higher," he said his his LIV form.
"I wouldn't always... as much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn't always give it as the full amount just knowing that it's a smaller field."
Even so, no one will be writing off the two-time Major winner this week, especially not after he had the old look in his eyes at the PGA Championship last month.
Rahm was right in the mix until late into the back nine at Quail Hollow, until a sloppy finish saw him drop down into a tie for eighth.
"It was a true joy to put myself in that position again," said Rahm, who dropped five shots over the last three holes. "I was very happy to be there and felt like I was in control.
"It was nice. It was unfortunate that... not even 16, just one bad swing on 17, which wasn't even entirely that bad, it was just a very difficult hole."
Rahm was the leading amateur the last time the US Open was staged at Oakmont in 2016.
However, despite having fond memories of the "iconic" venue, he admits the challenging layout is not one that he would like to play every day.
"All jokes aside, yeah, of course I want to be a member here. It's a beautiful golf course and very historic," he said.
"Would I play here every day? No. I wouldn't play anywhere every day. I would like the diversity of playing elsewhere."
