“My A-game?! No.” Jon Rahm just as we know and love him. The Barrika native went six under par, played seven holes without a driver and he was still unhappy with his day at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Welcome to the demands of elite sport.
Rahm underplayed the significance of breaking his driver on the 5th hole and having to play until the 14th without it in his bag. “These are just things that happen in this sport. Thank God I have enough distance and there’s not a huge difference. I only missed it on the 6th where there’s a big difference if you don’t get over the stream”.
The Basque will take to the first tee on Sunday in the final group, just two shots behind Angel Hidalgo and as the hot favourite to claim the title. “If you’d told me on Monday or Tuesday that I’d tee off two shots from the lead on Sunday and feel fit, I’d have bitten your hand off”.
The big question mark for Sunday will be how Angel Hidalgo and David Puig respond to the pressure of playing for a title, in the final match against one of the best in the world. Rahm was not afraid to utter what everyone else was thinking: “That’s the big difference. Angel and David have never played on a Sunday with so many spectators and the atmosphere we’ll have. You learn from everything and, in the end, if you want to achieve big things, you’re going to have Sundays like the one that awaits us tomorrow”.
Three Spaniards are going head-to-head in the best edition in the history of the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid. Rahm will be bidding to make history against two players who are just beginning to write the first chapters of their own stories. Club de Campo is going to be packed and all three players will be able to enjoy the affection of the fans. There are now just 18 holes left to enjoy on a Sunday that promises to be nothing short of spectacular.
.
