Jon Rahm (PAR) was swearing in Aramaic as soon as he putted the bogey on hole 4, par 5, the last of his round in the second round of the LIV Golf Andalucía. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back on a day when the golfer from Barrika literally couldn’t make another stroke. The goblins of the Valderrama greens were not on his side today. He played very well from tee to green, outstanding at times, but the birdie putts resisted him and the last one he threw for par on the 4 ended up bursting the frustration tank.
Jon played a lot and well to get three under par just before his last hole, a par 5 where a player like Rahm is thinking more about the birdie than the bogey. The only bad swing of the day, on his second shot, after a great drive, opened his ball a lot and ended up in the water. Jon knows how to value a round of 69 strokes like today’s at Valderrama, but it was inevitable not to end up a little deflated. Or a lot.
Be that as it may, Jon has never thrown in the towel with 18 holes ahead and this week will not be the first time. The Basque player is convinced that there are still options. He clings to Matt Fitzpatrick‘s comeback against Martin Kaymer in 2021, to a course that does not forgive a slip and to his good feelings. “Right now I would sign to play all my life like today from tee to green at Valderrama. I don’t think I can do much better, except for that second shot on the 4,” he assures.
However, to have a chance of victory, in addition to needing the collaboration of Anirban Lahiri, who is seven strokes less, he would have to beat his own record in these parts. Rahm has played ten rounds at Valderrama and his best result is a 67, on the third day of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters in 2019. Besides that day, only on two occasions has he gone under 70, on Thursday of that same 2019 and today. That will not be enough and Rahm knows it.
However, the winner of the US Open and the Masters is sure that he can do less at Valderrama. “If I manage to play from tee to green like today, I think I could do five under par. It’s possible,” he says. In that case, if he wants to win, Lahiri will at least have to do +2. And Jon is sure that if the Indian golfer does par or -1 it will be impossible to catch him.
In any case, Rahm clarifies: “if you give me a choice I prefer a difficult day, with wind, that makes things difficult and see if I can get a round of three under par. I think I would have more chances of winning than if it’s a day like today,” he highlights.
Sergio García (PAR) is tied with Rahm after handing in a card of 73 strokes. He has not played golf with the finesse of yesterday and has not had the best of luck. Even so, being Sergio, you have to count on him for Sunday. Meanwhile, David Puig has made up for the bad first day with a very good card of 68 strokes, one of the best of the day, after Lahiri and Leishman’s 66 and DeChambeau and Stenson’s 67. The prize for the stuffing of the month goes to Thomas Pieters, who after yesterday’s 79 strokes has followed today with 80.
