First LIV tournament at 72 holes distributing world ranking points and two Spaniards will jump this Saturday at Riyadh Golf Club with serious chances of victory in the inaugural tournament. Jon Rahm (-14) will start just two strokes behind and David Puig (-13) three behind. Truth be told, until the last hole, it looked like a bigger prize, but a double bogey from Puig abruptly halted his display. Despite the bitter end, the balance of the first 54 holes is very positive. Don’t let a dry tree prevent you from seeing a lush and fresh forest.
The tournament is exciting. Twelve players are within the famous five-stroke range and with chances of triumph in the final round. You can go from leading to not earning world ranking points in the blink of an eye. Peter Uihlein and the Australian debutant Elvis Smylie (-16) start this Saturday at the top.
It could be the world ranking points, the desire to win again, or simply because he is one of the best players in the world, but Jon Rahm is fully engaged in the fight for victory in Riyadh. Perhaps from more to less in terms of sensations, but undoubtedly with a serious display of play in Riyadh.
Great round of 67 strokes to be two shots off the lead train, and that’s with the day starting on the wrong foot. Bogey on his first hole. From there, he brought out his best version again. Very sharp with the putt and a better version with the irons than in previous days. In fact, he had eagle opportunities on three of the par fives (4, 6, and 13), thanks to long play. He brushed them with great putts of more than ten metres that he left close. On the birdie at hole 5 and on the 14th, he holed from nine and six metres respectively. The most accurate putt that escaped him was two metres on the 15th to equal the lead, but on the next, he saved a great par with a putt of more than four metres. What was lost was regained in that final stretch. Of the names at the top, undoubtedly the most feared is Jon’s.
David Puig, who started from hole 2, was putting on a show from the start. In his first five holes, he gained four strokes on the field, including an eagle on the 4th. He’s doing many things well, for example, he’s excelling from the tee, but credit to what he’s doing with the putter in his hands. His first birdie of the day came from seven feet, but the eagle on the 4th was a good one from almost nine metres. The bomb he hit from that tee, making 350 metres to leave it in the centre of the green, we can discuss another time. On the next hole, he missed a ten-metre putt by just a whisker. Half a turn was missing, but the next birdie was almost four metres. He had been on the course for less than an hour, and the display was significant. Equally crucial for not losing ground was the five-metre putt he holed to save par on the 7th hole. Impressive Puig. We don’t know what that putter is fed, but it was spitting fire.
Just like in the previous two rounds, he knew how to hold on and wait for the stretch between 11 and 14 to strike another blow to the leaderboard with three more birdies. Counting holes 4, 6, 11, 13, and 14, he has an aggregate of -12 in these three rounds. A large part of the prize. On the 15th, a painful lip-out denied him the solo lead. The last three holes seemed to be a more conservative path, preparing for the final battle, but the drama came on the 18th. The tee shot went to the right-side sand, and from there, the problem arose. The ball came out very loose, crossed the fairway, bounced on the path, and disappeared. He had to hit again from the same position for the fourth shot and made a great double bogey from there. 67 strokes and -13 in total. Don’t rule out that tomorrow he might have the best round of the day and lift the trophy in Saudi Arabia. That’s David.
Despite the final mistake, it’s February, and it can already be said that it’s the season of confirmation for the Catalan. He’s been showing for two years that he has the makings for great things, but this is the year to show it to the world. He went to Australia to achieve his first victory on the DP World Tour, fought until the final stretch with Patrick Reed for the win at the Dubai Desert Classic, and in the first tournament of the year in the LIV, he’s already fighting for that title that has been so elusive on the circuit. Has the time come for his first win?
Meanwhile, Sergio García (-10) is on the verge of the top ten and six strokes from victory and the lead. There are many players in between, and he seems ruled out for the win, but a low round could propel him to a good prize to start the season. The bogey on the final hole made him lose a lot of ground. He hadn’t made any mistakes in the first two rounds, and today he stumbled a couple of times. The sensations are positive; they just need to be finished off.
Josele Ballester (-6) and Luis Masaveu (-3) face the final round with the aim of continuing to gain sensations and finishing with a good feeling in Riyadh.
