The first victory of Jon Rahm (-8) in LIV Golf will not come in Australia either. Except for a miracle. Miracles must always be contemplated when talking about players like the one from Barrika. But it would have to be a miracle. He will need help from above and a round of nine or ten under, at least, to have a chance.
A round of three under par this Saturday has left him far behind. Too far. He is in fifteenth position tied with a good handful of players, six strokes behind the sole leadership held by the American Brendan Steele (-14). Many strokes and many people. Too many. It will be rare if someone does not manage to deliver a very good card this Sunday.
Jon’s birdie production, taking full advantage of the par 5s, has been good, but he has made many mistakes. Five birdies and three bogeys. It’s the tone of this week. He is struggling to recover from the few bad shots he is making. Today he had managed to get into the fight by reaching double digits with a great streak of five birdies in seven holes, but again the end of the round has choked him with two bogeys on 14 and 16. He will need his best round ever in LIV to give himself an option. Another goal he will fight for is to continue his streak of consecutive top 10s on the Saudi tour.
As it stands, the victory seems to be moving elsewhere. Steele, a player capable of playing very low on courses where many birdies can usually be made, leads with a one-stroke advantage over Danny Lee (-13), the perfect definition of the Guadiana golfer. He disappears for many weeks, but when it’s his turn, when he’s comfortable and at ease, he becomes the one to beat. Two off the lead are Carlos Ortiz and Mito Pereira, others who can give a lot of fight in the final round if they are accurate on the greens.
However, the great spice of the tournament has been added by Cameron Smith (-11). The Australian golfer is three strokes off the lead and is the crowd’s favourite. Adelaide is at his feet. In fact, between the breath of the people and his overflowing talent around the green, he has managed to be in the final battle for the title, despite the fact that his long game is leaking. Precisely because of this weakness, especially from the tee, it seems very unlikely that he can win. Either he finds something that gives him consistency from here to tomorrow or he will end up getting into trouble sooner or later.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, it is not being the ideal week. David Puig (-3) has signed a good round of three under par today, while Sergio García (-1) and Eugenio López Chacarra (-1) are not getting out of the lower positions of the table. At least, Chacarra has signed a round of three under par today, giving himself a break from his most recent performances.
