CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jon Rahm walked down the sloping 16th fairway at Quail Hollow Country Club with his head bowed. The stern facial expression he hid underneath his bright pink hat gave nothing away as the sounds that came from the nearby 14th green across the water, where Scottie Scheffler had just made birdie to go up by two shots, all but spelled out his major championship fate.
"Even if you don't want to look at leaderboards," Rahm said, "the crowd lets you know."
For a brief moment, Rahm had appeared capable of doing the unthinkable: tracking down the No.