Jon Rahm played three par 5s this Thursday in the opening round of the LIV Golf Singapore. They are the three par 5s on the Serapong course at the Sentosa Golf Club. Holes 4, 7 and 18. In all three he recorded the same result. Birdie, birdie, birdie. It is not at all unusual for Rahm to make birdie on a par 5, quite the opposite, but the truth is that this year, so far, he has taken it up a notch in this area.
To today’s clean sweep in Singapore should be added the clean sweep in Hong Kong a week ago. There were two par 5s there and Jon’s final score for the week was nine under par, with seven birdies and an eagle. He left none alive. In other words, Rahm has now played eleven consecutive par 5s in which he has made birdie or better. We’ll see where and when the streak stops.
If we broaden the picture to what we’ve had of the season, combining the tournaments in Australia and Riyadh, Jon is a total of 26 under par over the 43 par 5s he has played so far. The breakdown is 24 birdies, two eagles, two bogeys and 15 pars. Compared with what he had done at this same point last year, that is, after three tournaments and one round played (same tournaments and same courses), the tally is favourable in 2026. Rahm has improved his performance on these key holes. In 2025 he had played 33 (LIV was still contested over 54 holes) and his score was -19.
With the numbers on the table, it’s time for analysis. What is the reason Jon has been playing par 5s so well lately? Well, as is often the case, it’s not down to a single cause. Rahm has his own diagnosis “Maybe we’re analysing it too much. I’m hitting it better off the tee, so it all starts there on a par 5. You have to get the ball in play. Once you get it in play, I hit it long enough to usually have a comfortable distance to reach par 5s in two and I think that’s been the main difference. Simply put, so far this year everything is a little bit better than it was in the past”, he said after finishing his first round as co-leader of the tournament tied with DeChambeau, Westwood and Lee.
It is worth saying that Jon’s conclusion fits like a glove with what the statistics show. So far this year Rahm is a little better across the board than last year.
– Fairways hit: 62.5% versus 59.82%
– Greens in regulation: 80% versus 74.86%
– Average putts per hole: 1.56 versus 1.60
You can see the difference is minimal, but at the top level that tiny margin can be precisely what separates winning a tournament from finishing second. (By the way, as an aside, with all the technology and financial clout LIV Golf has, it’s hard to understand how poor the statistical references they provide to fans are. The PGA Tour is far ahead here).
Beyond his huge display on par 5s, Rahm was very pleased with his performance this Thursday, noting that the conditions on the back nine were not easy. “On our last nine holes the wind started to change. There were some shots that were supposed to come from the left and in reality they were straight into us and from the right. It’s not easy to try to guess what it’s going to do when it’s so changeable. Today that wasn’t expected. I think that was the biggest test”, he explained.
Finally, he stressed the quality of the greens. A good putter could thrive this week. “This course is not easy. The greens are firm. They are very, very good. The ball rolls wonderfully. So, if you feel good with the putter, you can create a lot of good opportunities. But it’s not easy. You have to hit fairways and be very precise with mid irons”.
