Jon Rahm’s wry smile on the 5th hole perfectly summed up his second round at the Open de España presented by Madrid. His birdie putt fell to the right, while seconds later Shane Lowry holed one from exactly the same place that broke to the left. On holes 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 and 17, it was more of the same: putts that shaved the hole but stayed above ground. A nightmare, that is the best way to Jon’s last 48 hours in Madrid. When the ball refuses to drop, there’s nothing you can do.
Nevertheless, Rahm did not disappoint the swarming fans. Only Rahmbo is able to sign for 7 birdies on a day on which the gods of golf repeatedly turn him down. The Barrika native barely put a foot wrong in what could be described as a lesson in golf and grit at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Luck was hard to come by on Javier Arana’s majestic Black Course, but it is on days like that when Rahm demonstrates the difference between him and the rest of the field. He hit six fairways out of 14 and signed for 66. Unreal.
The Spaniard again proved that he is true to his word. He comes to Madrid to grow Spanish golf, and he manages it every year. He is taking the sport to new heights on the Iberian Peninsula, with his game, his charisma and his magnetism, both on and off the course.
Today’s was a round that would have been historic if his putter had come to the party. Jon picked up birdies on the two toughest par 4s on the course (6 and 12) and delighted the fans with some incredible approach shots on 15 and 16.
