Beginnings are always tough, and Jon Rahm found out the hard way in his first round at the Open de España presented by Madrid. The Basque struggled more than he is accustomed to at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, on a day on which nothing seemed to go his way.
The first nine holes of the Madrid layout are often tricky, and today was no different. The Spaniard kicked off his tournament on the 10th and seemed to be battling with his driver: he only found one fairway from 10 to 18. Even so, Rahm managed to negotiate the first half of his round in 2 under par, largely thanks to an eagle on the par-5 14th, where he holed out from a greenside bunker to provoke the first roar from a crowd that was eager for a glimpse of his magic.
However, things began to unravel on the 18th green. A great pitch had left him a simple 10-foot birdie putt, but the ball did not even touch the hole. Rahm’s reaction said it all. He wore a frustrated look as stomped his way to the 1st tee. Then the unthinkable happened; two straight bogeys on holes where he had found the fairway. When a player is making pars from the rough and bogeys from the fairway, it’s clear something is amiss.
It was a tortuous day for Rahm but, as always, he managed to limit the damage to a minimum. Even when he is looking more like a mere mortal he continues to be better than the rest of the field. Shane Lowry, one of his playing partners, can attest to that; the Irishman signed for a 75 and has practically said goodbye to any chance of winning the title.
On a morning on which anyone else may have completely derailed their campaign for the title, Jon Rahm managed to keep his hopes alive. +1 on a day to forget, this is what it means to be a super elite player. On Friday, you can count on him coming out with the bit between his teeth and a desire to prove, once again at home, why he is the best. Get ready, tomorrow we could see some fireworks from the ‘Lion of Barrika’.
