115 days. 16 weeks. Almost four months. That is the time Jon Rahm (-5) had gone without competing. The man from Barrika played his last competitive round on October 12 at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid until the first round of the LIV Golf Riyadh which began this Wednesday. That Sunday in October, he ended 2025 without individual titles for the first time since 2017. Champion at Bethpage, champion in the overall LIV and team victories, but without individual triumphs.
Well, it hasn’t been a bad start for the Spaniard in the LIV Golf season opener, in fact, it can be said that it has been more than positive. Despite not being his best Open de España, he ended last season with a round of 65 strokes that allowed him to comfortably finish in the top ten. He had never been without competing at a professional level for so long, but he has resumed with a very solid version. He is tied for fourth thanks to a round of 67 strokes in a tournament start that will now distribute world ranking points and is being played for the first time over four rounds.
In the first four holes, it seemed as if he hadn’t left the competition for a moment. Scheffler recalled a few days ago that he doesn’t step onto a golf course to get in shape but to try to win. A similar maxim can be applied to Rahm. Two birdies in the first four flags that could well have been three if he had taken advantage of the first par five at Riyadh Golf Club. A modest second shot to the bunker and an improvable recovery prevented it. However, very sharp from the tee and fierce with the putt, he gifted himself two early birdies. A six-metre putt for the first birdie of the season on the 2nd and another of just over two on the 4th hole. Perhaps the wedges were his biggest ‘must’ in a round where the rest of the facets were highly commendable. Nonetheless, Jon barely struggled to get through the holes, he had three commitments of just under two metres on the 5th, 8th, and 14th and resolved them with fierceness.
Between the 5th and 11th holes, the man from Barrika focused on maintaining the pace with one par after another. On the 12th, he sank the longest putt of the day, just over eight metres, to add his third success and minutes later took advantage of the fourth and final par five of the course. He capitalised on the easiest hole of the course, which could well have been an eagle. The six-metre putt didn’t want to drop, and he settled for the birdie.
Rahm, like a good magician, saved the final trick for the end. After a very long drive on the 18th hole, he had a second shot of just over 35 metres. The touch was wonderful, shot of the day, the reality is that the ball didn’t end up dropping in for eagle because the golf gods didn’t want it. He sealed the fifth and final birdie to finish sixth with five under in the first round of the year.
Among the other Spaniards, the start of Sergio García (-4) and David Puig (-3) also stands out. The man from Borriol sneaked into the top ten at the last minute with his fourth birdie of the day without error. David Puig was also solid with three successes without a blemish and a solid top 20 start. Intact options. Between the three, they scored twelve birdies and zero bogeys. Josele Ballester (-1) beat the course but was somewhat more behind on a course that brings back good memories. Masaveu (+3) struggled in the final stretch. He was one under and in the last four holes gave up as many strokes, with two bogeys and a double.
The rest of the newcomers want to show why they were signed by the circuit. Thomas Detry (-6) makes his debut in LIV Golf with a spectacular round of 65 strokes that propels him to the tournament lead. Not bad for his first round in Dustin Johnson’s team. He is closely followed by Elvis Smylie (-6), the Australian also debuted and is third after the first 18 holes in Riyadh. Additionally, Michael La Sasso (-3) played his first round as a professional. The 2025 NCAA champion made an impression at the start. He took the lead with two early birdies, although he couldn’t maintain the pace, he left his mark. Anthony Kim (-4) continues to show that he is very much back. Bryson DeChambeau (-4) recorded a double bogey on the 2nd hole after going into the water and ended up straightening out to a great four under par total.
