Jon Rahm’s distance off the tee is nothing new, he’s one of the biggest hitters in world golf and he’s proving it again this week in Madrid, where he is the third longest with the big stick in hand.
Coincidence would have it, though, that the Barrika native finds himself in unfamiliar territory on Saturday. The golfing gods have decided to pair him up with Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg on Saturday, the biggest hitter on the first two days. It is very unusual for the Spaniard to be in a match where he can’t outdrive his playing partners.
The Swede’s average driving distance in Madrid this week is 338.75 yards, which is even more impressive given that Club de Campo is a course that requires such precision from the tee. Rahm clocks in at 331.75, seven yards short of his playing partner. It’s not often a two-time major champion gets outdriven. It remains to be seen if the Barrika native will be cranking it up on Saturday, or dialling it in slightly to give himself more of a chance with his second shots.
Lindberg is the biggest hitter, while Rahm sits third on the list… Can you guess any other members of the tournament’s top 10 so far? There are a number of Spaniards on the list – it seems there is much more to their game than good hands around the green! Here are the 10 biggest hitters at the Open de España so far:
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Mikael Lindberg: 338.75 (yards)
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Grant Forrest: 337.25
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Jon Rahm: 331.75
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Eugenio Chacarra: 326.75
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Luis Masaveu: 326.25
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Ryggs Johnston: 325.75
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Juan Salama: 325.25
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Hamish Brown: 323.75
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Haotong Li: 323.25
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Ivan Cantero: 323.00
One notable absence from the list is one of the tour’s longest drivers; tournament leader Marco Penge is the sixth longest off the tee on the DP World Tour this season. However, in Madrid he is in 35th place. His conservative strategy seems to be paying dividends so far. Elsewhere, though, it looks like we’re in for a big-hitting weekend…
