Jon Rahm (-8) is ready to make his mark on LIV Golf from the start. After his third place in Mayakoba, a tournament in which he debuted on the Saudi tour, and the eighth three weeks ago in Las Vegas, the Barrika native wants the third time to be the charm. And aware that in these 54-hole events the margin for recovery is reduced, he has hit the accelerator from the starting gun this Friday on the visit to the Royal Greens Golf Club in Jeddah.
The round of 62 strokes with which he closed the first round of this event in the King Abdullah Economic City, in Saudi Arabia, places him co-leader of the classification, along with Adrian Meronk (-8), in an absolutely unbeatable position to fight for the title over the weekend. But above all, it leaves him with the feeling that his game is perfectly tuned just over a month before his return to Augusta to defend his title at the Masters.
.@JonRahmOfficial rolling the rock from distance 👀#LIVGolf @LegionXIIIgc pic.twitter.com/hRSNgk0Lwd
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 1, 2024
Rahm started his round at hole 3 and before reaching the first nine he already had a three under on the scoreboard, with a sensational performance from tee to green, without making mistakes, sinking good putts and even ‘forgiving’ some options to have added more than the three birdies he had on his card. And in the second half of his round, the Barrika native brought out his best version to continue scratching strokes off the course and successfully save a couple of tricky situations.
To his birdie at 13, fourth of the day after those he had achieved at 4, 6 and 10, he added a spectacular one at the par three of 16 by sinking a 10-meter putt with a double drop. At 17, an easy hole that had complicated him, he saved par with a great putt of just over three meters. And at 18, after visiting the rough and ending up in the fairway bunker when trying to recover as he couldn’t shoot for two to green, he ended up signing a tremendous birdie to go six under.
https://twitter.com/livgolf_league/status/1763549893207962080
With confidence sky high, his lash from the tee of 1, his penultimate hole of the day, was close to taking his ball to the green. Almost perfect approach and another birdie in the bag. And at 2, where he finished his round, his missile with the driver was so long that it surpassed the fairway on the left ended up in a high grass area between the two sand obstacles. Once again, textbook approach shot and five-meter putt to the cup to go to the hotel leading the tournament.
Joaquín Niemann (-7), who fell from the co-leadership with a bogey on the last hole, Charl Schwartzel (-7) and Bryson DeChambeau (-7) are presented, along with Meronk, as the main rivals for the Barrika native as the weekend approaches. But they will not be the only ones because after them appear on the table names like Louis Oosthuizen (-6), Tyrrell Hatton (-5), Patrick Reed (-5), Talor Gooch (-5), Dustin Johnson (-4) or Phil Mickelson (-5), who shared the round with Rahm and Niemann and left some shots that go straight to the ‘highlights’, like his chip for birdie at 16.
You know when @PhilMickelson takes the flagstick out…
Class is in session 👀#LIVGolf @HyFlyers_GC pic.twitter.com/5Ls7Sg3ZTM
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 1, 2024
Sergio García (-3), the second best of the Spaniards in this first day of competition in Jeddah, handed in a card of 67 strokes with three birdies, without mistake, to place himself a couple of strokes from the top 10. David Puig (-2), with five birdies and three bogeys for a round of 68, will face the weekend from the middle of the table. While Eugenio Chacarra (+1), who signed the first eagle of the day and left some excellent shots, made too many mistakes and was one of the few players who lost his battle with the course.
Among them, Anthony Kim (+6), back in competition after 12 years off the map, who found that his game is still a bit rusty to get close to what he once was. By teams, the Legión XIII of Jon, boosted by his great round and the great performance of Hatton and Surrat (-4), leads with 17 under par with a one-stroke advantage over the Stinger of the South Africans and five over the Chrushers, the Iron Heads and the HyFlyers. The Fireballs of Sergio, Puig and Chacarra are already 10 strokes behind the leaders.
This flop shot is just insane 👀@Eugeniochacarra with the world class touch on the 18th 👌#LIVGolf @fireballsgc_ pic.twitter.com/h7ZoMcda0j
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 1, 2024
Check the live results of LIV Golf Jeddah
