BREAKING NEWS: PGA officials have handed down a harsh punishment to Scottie Scheffler, officially disqualifying him.

       Our hours before the eventual winner, Bryson DeChambeau, went out for the final round of the US Open, Scottie Scheffler stood on the first green of a Pinehurst No 2 course that had scrambled his confidence over three excruciating days, carefully lining up a 20ft chance for birdie.

       The world’s No 1 golfer curled a putt with perfect speed and line all the way to the cup, where it defiantly came to rest on the left rim without dropping in. Scheffler stared for a moment in disbelief before stepping forward to tap in for par. It would have been difficult to dream up a better example for how the two-time m

        The faint chimes from the nearby Village Chapel that carried across the grounds during Scheffler’s two‑over 72 on Sunday morning – that left him eight over for the championship and 14 shots adrift of DeChambeau’s winning total – might have sounded like a funeral dirge to the Masters champion.

    He had arrived here as the largest betting favourite entering a major in 15 years, having won for the fifth time in eight starts the previous Sunday at the Memorial.

          He had already broken the tour’s single-year earnings record with more than $24m (£18.96m) in prize money – nice work if you can get it – and went off on Thursday as the first player to have won five tournaments in a season before the US Open since Tom Watson in 1980.

        The Spaniard will make his LIV debut at the league’s season opening event from February 2-4 at LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico.

He remains eligible for the majors for the next five years – the Masters for life, the US Open until 2031. Still to be determined is how the move affects his eligibility for the Ryder Cup.

       It’s hard to sit here and criticise Jon because of what a great player he is,” Rory McIlroy said in an interview with Sky Sports. “Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025 (for the Ryder Cup). Because of this decision, the European tour is going to have to rewrite the rules. There’s no question about that.”

       Rahm’s addition gives LIV Golf seven of the last 14 winners at the majors.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had been scheduled to meet this week with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the head of the PIF. The meeting was delayed until next week, but it was not clear if it was still on or how Rahm’s announcement affects negotiations.

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