2023-04-29 01:24:38
Tony Finau had signed a brilliant card of 64 shots, seven under par, in the morning session and had made the Mexico Open very expensive with a minus thirteen in the global calculation that put pressure, and a lot, on the rivals who were playing for the late. And Jon Rahm, a friend of the American and defending champion won in Puerto Vallarta last year, was one of them. With the wind coming from the Pacific blowing strongly and with the obligation to seal a ‘passport’ of height to stay in the leading positions that would keep him close to the eventual leader, the Biscayan started from the tee of 1 with Emiliano Grillo and Alex Noren as fellow party members with a lot of homework ahead of them. The context and the scenario forced the number one in the world to get the best out of himself if he wanted to aspire to lift the trophy this Sunday in this new event on the PGA Tour. He finished with minus three on the day for a total minus seven that placed him twelfth in the standings. What happened to Barrika between holes 6 and 12 perfectly defines what golf is, an unpredictable sport in which calculations usually end up on paper in a matter of minutes. Rahm climbed those seven flags in a roller coaster of hair-raising ascents and descents that first lifted him up hard and then lowered him at the same speed before regaining stability. The brand new winner in the green jacket chained an eagle –with a stratospheric putt of about fourteen meters– and a birdie on holes 6 and 7 that presaged a healthy and sustained round to continue in the viewpoint of noble positions. A sensation that increased in the 8th with an extraordinary shot to the green that left the birdie almost done. However, he missed that putt and the next two flags stopped him dead when his short minus seven pointed to very high levels. Incredible what happened to him on the 9th, a short par three with a very well protected flag that was greatly complicated by the headwind. The first shot went into the water and the third, already with a penalty, into the bunker. After two putts to sign a painful double bogey unexpected and for the moment it occurred. And it is that the next hole of the course, 10, is one of the most difficult on the course and the Biscayan suffers whenever he plays it. A bogey fell. Everything that had been achieved had vanished in the blink of an eye. He started again with eight flags to conquer ahead. And it was at this point that Jon Rahm once again made it clear that his mental strength is unmatched. Dark clouds were stalking him and despite everything he managed to link two birdies at flags 11 and 12 with which he showed that he had not yet said the last word. Then he added another at 14 that gradually brought him closer to the goal… And suddenly bogey at 16. And a new birdie at 18. Roller coaster that forces the comeback.
#Rahm #holds #Mexico