He needed a miracle and it didn’t happen, although it wasn’t for lack of trying. Jon Rahm (-16) always tries. He always believes. However, his exceptional round of 64 strokes to finish the LIV Adelaide Golf this Sunday was not enough to achieve victory. He finished two strokes behind Brendan Steele (-18) and one behind Louis Oosthuizen (-17). Nothing to object to today. The victory slipped away in Saturday’s round of 69 strokes.
Rahm came out to play with the determination to make birdies and put all the pressure in the world and a little more on those above. He also knew that he was starting his round on a part of the course conducive to making a result and sending a message. He started on the 5th with a great birdie and from the 7th came four par 5s in seven holes. He squeezed this stretch to the last drop. The eagle fell on the 7th and three birdies on holes 9, 10 and 13. Six under in nine holes and in the fight. He was there, although he never got to touch the lead. The closest he got was one stroke and it lasted just a few seconds.
The second nine of his round were not so favourable. That’s what miracles are about. Doing incredible things in unexpected situations. This was not the case for Rahm. He made two more birdies, on the 17th and 18th, the first with a great shot and the second taking advantage of the short par 4 of the The Grange Golf Club, the venue for the tournament. He needed a final push, but it didn’t come. He had good birdie options on the 3rd and 4th, but the putts didn’t end up in the hole. His round of 64 strokes was the best of the day along with Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer and Abraham Ancer.
Rahm is still without a win in LIV Golf, this was his sixth attempt, but he adds his fourth top 5 and sixth top 10. Absolute full house. His worst position has been eighth. This week he finished tied for third with Schwartzel, Ogletree, Niemann and Burmester. He keeps hovering around. He gets closer every week. Who knows if it will finally come next week in Singapore. The Lion of Barrika will try again, there is no doubt about that. He remains second in the order of merit behind Niemann.
Steele won the LIV Australia Golf because he was the best this Sunday. It was an unqualified victory. He started with a bogey on the 3rd, but he dealt the death blow to the tournament with five consecutive birdies between holes 5 and 9. From there, he kept leaving himself good birdie options and hardly suffered. In fact, he missed up to three very short putts that would have allowed him to win with even more margin.
This is Steele’s first victory in LIV Golf. In 2023 he came close in Tucson, but ended up losing in a playoff against Danny Lee, Oosthuizen and Carlos Ortiz. This year he was not having good results, not at all. His best ranking had been 19th in Miami. He is 41 years old, from California and won three times on the PGA Tour (Valero Texas Open and the Safeway Open twice, years 2011, 2016 and 2017). He therefore breaks a seven-year drought without lifting a trophy.
The Rippers beat the Stingers in the first playoff in LIV Golf history
As for the team competition, victory for Cameron Smith’s Rippers after defeating Cameron Smith’s Stingers in the playoff. It is the first playoff that occurs in LIV Golf in the team competition. Oosthuizen and Burmester played for the South Africans, while Smith and Leishman did it for the Australians. Everything was decided on the second playoff hole with a par from Leishman against three bogeys from Smith, Oosthuizen and Burmester.
