A scorecard of 63 strokes, eight under par, with nine birdies and one bogey. The recital of Jon Rahm this Saturday in Nashville, with the best round of the day, will allow the champion of Barrika to go out in the last 18 holes of the tournament with options to fight for what would be his first victory in LIV Golf. An extraordinary performance that, apparently completely forgotten the infection between two toes of a foot that prevented him from playing the US Open at Pinehurst last week, the captain of the Legion XIII analyzed in depth.
“Apart from my opening hole of the day, where I had a bit of bad luck with my lie in the bunker, the next 17 were really good. Nine under par, I was never out of position. Very, very happy and comfortable with the way I handled it. I don’t remember if I missed any fairway after that first hole and I gave myself many opportunities. I didn’t do anything wrong. I had many opportunities, I made a couple of putts on the 9th and 11th that were a bonus. And I took care of the rest. I needed a round like this to get closer to the lead. Obviously, Tyrrell was fantastic and I still have to work a bit tomorrow, but I definitely needed it… I knew I could do it, and it was good to start the round quickly to make a low score”, analyzed Rahm.
About his injury, the one from Barrika said: “I wouldn’t say completely, but I played almost 18 holes without pain. Probably that’s why I hit it much better. Yesterday it bothered me a bit, I had it in mind, but not today. I never questioned the fact that I couldn’t hit the ball and I think that’s what made the difference”.
Jon also referred to the country music he chose to start his round, one of the curious details of LIV Golf, like the ‘party’ holes, where the noise of the music is deafening while the golfers try to concentrate to hit their shots: “It was good. It’s always tricky when you have a wedge to control the distance and in the background the song you like and the atmosphere. You have to control the adrenaline, it’s something we don’t manage very often, and you have to count a couple of extra yards on that shot. But it’s fun. It’s a fun atmosphere. It’s fun to be close, and it’s always amazing to hear the cheers and how much fun everyone is having. In that area, 14, 15, 16 and 17, there is a good atmosphere”.
Regarding whether he was surprised by his way of playing compared to his expectations at the beginning of the week, the Spaniard said: “Yes and no. I hit balls on my simulator at home on Monday before flying on Tuesday, and I had the speed. The only doubt was to walk 18 holes. Yesterday, towards the last four or five holes, I started to feel it a bit. But today I tried to hydrate a bit more in the morning and eat a bit more, I think I did a good job to mitigate it. I think the more I play, the more comfortable I will feel. I always trust that I can make low scores. But I didn’t know how it was going to turn out”.
Rahm also referred to how DeChambeau is managing the ‘hangover’ from his great victory in the major of the USGA: “Yes, I’m impressed, especially considering that he went and did the whole New York news program. I didn’t do that. Playing the week after at Hilton Head was quite difficult and exhausting. But we saw Scottie win the week after this year, and Bryson seems to be a guy who naturally has a lot of energy. I would never question his performance ability. But I think it becomes more of a mental issue. Can he concentrate on continuing to play good golf even though he has achieved something amazing? I think he is physically fit enough to handle it, it’s just being able to do it mentally. In fact we mentioned it during the round. I think one of the things that is never talked about enough about players like Tiger or Jack is the fact that they have been able to win several majors in a season consistently, and I don’t think most people understand how demanding it is mentally to achieve it, the media obligations you have afterwards and other victories among all those things. It’s impressive to see what other players have been able to do”.
