Jon Rahm (+2) was crystal clear, minutes after finishing his first round at the Open, that he had passed a day that could have gone even more awry. In very British conditions, tremendously British, with dense and constant wind and isolated showers, no one should be too hard on themselves for signing a 73 at this very serious Royal Troon that is not prone to gifts, but the Spanish player also knows that his game has not been as sharp as he would have liked.
“I’ve managed. I haven’t been as comfortable as I would like, but I’ve managed well and I haven’t made very big mistakes, except for the one at the 13th hole. I wouldn’t say it’s been a great day, because I haven’t been comfortable, although with this wind and the general conditions it’s also very easy to try to guide the shot too much and that makes you not have a fluid swing, but well, these are the things you have to deal with,” he explained at the end.
It is not easy, indeed, to assess the net quality of anyone’s game in these conditions, but it is true that Jon has not been seen as stable or consistent. Therefore, his final record must be valued as good, and even very good. He started the round with a lot of trouble getting on track from the tee and, later on, he also interspersed some rather poor second shots, or at least not as accurate as they could be, considering the standard of these types of players, even in such changing and adverse conditions.
Jon had pointed out in the previous days that he hardly remembered what it was like to start well in a Major and that he hoped to turn that dynamic around at Royal Troon. Well, it hasn’t happened, but at least he has saved a day that could have gotten even more tangled and very easily, as has happened to McIlroy (+7), Theegala (+6), DeChambeau (+5), Fleetwood (+5), Homa (+5), Tom Kim (+5), Hovland (+4) or Aberg (+4). Examining such a list of names and results may not console those who aspire to win, but it does cushion the fall to some extent.
