Jon Rahm (-19) performed a miracle this Saturday at the LIV Golf Australia. It felt like the tournament was slipping away from him. A great Bryson DeChambeau (-19) kept him on his toes all day. It even seemed like the blow to the tournament was going to be decisive. He had a four-shot lead. But an imperial finish by Jon, similar to last Saturday in Saudi Arabia, with a five-under-par score in the last five holes, levelled the situation on the leaderboard. They will start this Sunday tied with a total of -19 after signing two cards of six and eight under.
A superlative version of DeChambeau has joined with a struggling and trailing Rahm. The American has kept him (and everyone) on their toes, mainly supported by a massive seven-under-par score in eight holes. Specifically, on the 6th and 14th. Basically, DeChambeau has taken advantage of every opportunity in that stretch where so much gold can be found. No wonder, there you have the four par 5s of the course plus the short par 4 of the 8th and the short par 3 of the 6th.
DeChambeau left nothing behind, as he also scored a great birdie on hole 12 and another on the 14th. Two bonuses. The first with a long putt, a trademark of the double US Open champion, with the added excitement of a fervent crowd at the stadium/party hole of the Australian course. The second with a great shot about three metres from the flag.
It’s true that today DeChambeau was illuminated, but it’s equally true that Jon was far from his best version until the 14th hole. He was very inconsistent from the start. Already on the 1st hole, he missed the fairway, and his ball ended up next to a tree, forced to play left-handed just to return it to the fairway. Bogey on the card. Things didn’t go much better on the 2nd hole. Now he missed the second shot. The ball came out more closed and longer than expected, and he couldn’t make the recovery. Another bogey.
Really, Jon in those early holes was more surviving than attacking. His long game was a roller coaster, and he was saved thanks to recoveries and the putt. That’s how the birdies on holes 4, 7, and 9 came. Also, now yes, a massive shot from the tee on the 8th to leave himself a clear eagle chance that he wouldn’t convert. His best shot in the first nine holes. Steadily, Jon managed to keep DeChambeau at bay and barely held onto the lead.
What he couldn’t do was catch Bryson’s wheel when the Californian shot up with outstanding play. Rahm found himself very challenged and without the necessary ease. That’s how two very important moments came. He didn’t take advantage of the 10th hole (par 5) and made a bogey on the 13th (par 5). Here he left three shots compared to DeChambeau. They were two bad second shots. Again, not very precise.
Rahm may play better or worse, but his grit is non-negotiable. When he was most against the ropes, he fought back like a lion to at least not lose the tournament definitively. He hit a great shot on the 14th and left the birdie made, and on the 15th, he sank a sensational five-metre putt to add another birdie. Here there could have been a turning point, as DeChambeau had a hard time (he was less lucky than Jon, both missing the tee shot to the left), but a spectacular third shot, still far from the flag, allowed him to save par from a very delicate position.
The Spaniard scored another superb birdie on the 16th, from out of position, after missing the tee shot to the left and being forced to hit a low shot to clear the trees. Not only did he get it to the green, but he left himself a birdie chance of just over three metres and converted it. The problem is that DeChambeau responded with another textbook birdie: fairway, great shot to the green, one-metre putt.
Bryson opened the door on the 17th with his only bogey of the day. He missed the tee shot to the left, as on the 15th, but this time he couldn’t work the miracle of saving par. It ended up in a bad spot, in the sand, very settled, he got it out to the fairway, but couldn’t make the save. Jon had a mid-range putt to even further reduce the lead, but his birdie attempt came up a bit short. The four shots the American had at the 13th tee were reduced to two. A breather for Jon.
The complete turnaround of events came on the 18th hole. Rahm pulled a miracle out of the hat. He missed his tee shot well to the left. Bad tee shot. Short par 4. He was blocked by trees and could only execute his shot low, with the luck in this case for the Basque that there was a grandstand. He asked for relief from the referees, they granted it, and he had a much clearer second shot, about 50 metres with a clear path ahead, and Jon… made it!!! Eagle. Incredible, but true. DeChambeau, incredulous and visibly critical of the relief granted to Jon, was unable to make the birdie, and they both ended up tied, heading into a sensational Sunday. A miracle and also, why not say it, an important dose of luck.
Will it be a head-to-head Sunday between DeChambeau and Rahm? Well, everything points to it, as the rest have fallen far behind. In any case, it’s worth highlighting the good feelings that Anthony Kim (-14) continues to offer, as well as the great comeback by Lucas Herbert (-13) or Cameron Smith (-13), thus trying to save the aussie pride at home.
It wasn’t the best moving day for the rest of the Spaniards. They needed a really low round to get into the fight for the top 10, but it didn’t happen. They will still have one last chance tomorrow David Puig, Josele Ballester, Sergio García, and Luis Masaveu, although they will need to sign the round of the day to have any chance, we’ll see, to catch world ranking points.
