It wouldn't be a major without a referendum on how LIV Golf prepares its top players for golf's biggest events, and so far, the Masters is no different.
None of the 10 men from the LIV contingent broke par in Thursday's opening round, with Sergio Garcia leading the way at even for the tournament. The most shocking Day 1 score was Jon Rahm's 6-over 78 - the worst round of his entire Masters career.
Rahm rebounded with a 2-under 70 on Friday to likely make the cut, but he remains well back of the leaders with the afternoon wave on the course. The Spaniard has been red-hot on LIV this year, with a victory and three runner-up finishes in five events.
After his early struggles at Augusta, Rahm was asked what adjustments are necessary when teeing it up in the majors.
"None. Golf is golf," Rahm said, adding that the LIV schedule offers the same level of preparation "as any other golf tournament in the world."
LIV's last event ended March 22 in South Africa, and the league hasn't played in the United States since last summer. Rahm's early-season schedule has also taken him to Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Rahm remains one of the top players in the world and has been a factor in a number of majors over the past few years. However, his play has slipped at Augusta of late. His worst finish ever was a tie for 45th two years ago, and while he rebounded to post a 14th-place showing last year, he once again finds himself outside the top 40 at the Masters.
"Just one of the things where it's golf. I felt really good all year besides yesterday. Actually felt pretty good today as well," Rahm said. "Yesterday was just an anomaly where everything that could go wrong went wrong."
Rahm's biggest issue Thursday was putting, as the two-time major winner finished 89th of 91 players on the greens. He improved significantly to sit 30th in putting for Round 2 on the slippery greens.
While he's set to play the weekend and keep his streak of never missing the Masters cut alive, he'll need a miracle to get back into contention for a second green jacket.
