that’s for sure Jon Rahm must count to ten after signing the card on the second day of British Open at Royal Liverpool: 70 strokes, one under par, for 144 (+2, on expected cut) before appearing in the mixed zone before the Spanish media. The Basque has a +1 overall and the ball on the fairway is perfectly placed to attack the green of the 18th hole with his second shot and at least sign the birdie that will put him at par overall.
Well no, in line with what was the entire round, the Basque hit a wicked second shot, a careful third 12 meters from the flag and played a first putt that stopped a meter from the hole. He got to the ball, hit and ‘tied’ I love you, bogey-6 for the second day and 70 shots for 144, the limit of his 17th consecutive cut in the ‘majors’ by an active golfer (he the one with the record ). “Happy with this but I would like to be with options in the tournament…”, he acknowledged. It was a bitter final hole no doubt for a Rahm whose mistake of playing poorly on 18 could have caused him serious distress.
And this time the putt saved him from certain elimination and from signing a card of 75, 76 or 77 strokes. Yes, yes, without exaggeration. Up to five putts between two and three meters have to be put in at Barrika’s to save compromised situations. The return was straightforward with birdies on 15 and 17 (very nice, with an accurate shot off the tee and a two-meter putt into the pot). But if we examine Rahm’s round this Friday, it was all non-stop suffering, blows to the chin that the Biscayan avoided and thanks to its talent and success on the greens, with the exception of hole 18, they avoided. a premature KO.
“It was a good day, a shame on 18 and a shame on the putt of 10 (‘tie’), the rest was fine, it was not my best day in the irons but I saved very good pars and me I have kept the turn, I’m a bit annoyed with birdieing good at 17, fairwaying at 18 and not giving me a better option. Now it prevails…it has not been long enough after those three putts to think of anything else but this There were a lot of moments to celebrate, I made a lot of two- and three-foot putts for par that gave me those options at the end. It’s a shame not to finish on 18 to put it in the fairway, which is the hardest thing on that hole. “, checked the champion of Masters 2023 and Open USA 2021.
When things went from bad to worse after four survival holes, birdies came at the 5th and 6th, but again anxiety invaded the card of the world number 3 playing his seventh Open, with bogeys at 9th and 10th. And a ‘safe’ The hole in the 12th hole, the capital, is very important, because it lacks the green but that’s where the talent appeared and with a precise approach he tamed the ball a meter from the flag.
He also endured carts and carts on 13 and 14, he beat the course on 15, a par 5, he worked a great save on 16 and the icing on the birdie on 17. 18 was a story that never sleeps. All this on a day that Jon described as “harder, on fairways that are harder to reach, with more wind, small greens and with small margins, these links are complicated…in Royal Birkdale, there it is…”.
He said he wasn’t thinking about the cut and “yes to birdie-birdie on 17 and 18 and finish with a total par, ten shots behind leader Brian Harman. And you never know an Open weekend,” he added . “I’m proud of the match, the holes where the day can be messy, the third shot of the 12th hole gave me the courage to continue there. I gave myself options to make two or three under of par because I made five putts to save par, and you have to remember this.
The truth is that he currently leads the American lefty by 142 shots, ten under par Brian Harman (four birdies and an eagle in 18 without bogey), that some players who came out in the afternoon tried to make sure that at the end of the day the gap with the American was not too wide, with the Gipuzkoan Adrian Otaeqgui remains in the top 10 shared at 140 (-2), with Jon Rahm on the weekend and in the amateur Josele Ballester struggling to make the cut. The world number 2 Rory McIlroy signed 70 shots for 141 (-1).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
