Tough start for Rahm at FedEx St. Jude

Eighteen tournaments this season on the PGA Tour, four victories and eleven top 10 finishes. In an almost pristine presentation card, the data supports the first round this Thursday at FedEx St. Judethe first playoff tournament of the best circuit in the world, is one of the most difficult in the campaign for Jon Rahm. The Barrika player, comfortable in his first six holes, saw how his luck turned on the seventh hole of his return to take part in a day of great suffering that left him at the table.

Rahm has signed three birdies, four bogeys and one double-bogey (+3) to increase tied for sixty-fifth of seventy participants in a tournament where, without a cut, there will be room for improvement this Friday. Although, above all, it will have a growth option sensations in the driverwhere he is uncomfortable starting an event that he leads by a long distance. Jordan Spieth (-7an eagle and five birdies).

There was nothing to describe a difficult day for the Spanish player, who started with a good putt on the 10th hole to open his round with a birdie. Without problems in the long game, although he missed several long putts on the green, Rahm saved the various pars without complications until, on the 15th hole (par four), the second millimeter shot from the fairway left him with a given birdie. Throws him a -2 on the table towards leading positions.

Nothing could be further from reality. The 16th hole, fatal for him, completely turned his day around. It was a par five and an opportunity to gain more ground on the course, but Jon went wide off the tee, was penalized to start over from the tee and missed a long putt for par for the first bogey of the day. Two holes later, on quarter of 18the day became more twisted a dangerous way out found the lake.

Rahm finished with a double bogey on that hole to get over par and see his morale take a hit. Uncomfortable with the driver, without finding the fairways, the sensations are not good for him and the marker confirms them: two separate bogeys on the par four of 2 and the par three of 4 they sank him to the last positions of the classification.

The reaction attempt stopped

Rahm had to cling to something to find positive sensations in the final holes and he found it on the par four of the 5th hole, where he was centimeters from holed out on the fairway for birdie. At least, that punch gave him confidence subtract one from your marker on the next hole (birdie) and to find new birdie options late in his round. He missed and still had one last shot: Rahm missed a medium distance putt for par on the 9th hole to add a final bogey that put him +3far from the best and no good feelings.

It will be key for him to reverse his trend this Friday, although there are plenty of players up front who are well placed. In front, an imperial Spieth who showed no flaws in his game and he became brilliant in sense. With five birdies to his credit, the icing on the cake came with an eagle on the par five of 16 that would allow him to face the second round as the leader.

He will do it with advantage Tom Kim (-6, seven birdies and one bogey), although there were some well-placed players. This is the Argentine case Emiliano Grillo (eight birdies and three bogeys) and collin morikawa (six birdies and one bogey), who is tied for third at -5 and will try to fight for the lead in the second round.

So are Rahm’s main rivals in the race for the FedEx Cup. scottie scheffler (six birdies, one bogey and one double-bogey) and Rory McIlroy (one eagle, four birdies and three bogeys) is in a huge fifteenth place with -3, ready to attack the sweeter spots in the second round this Friday.

Classification after the first round (par 70)

1. Jordan Spieth (United States) 63
2. Tom Kim (South Korea) 64
3. Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 65
3. Colin Morikawa (United States) 65
5. Eric Cole (United States) 66
5. Cameron Davis (Australia) 66
5. Tommy Fleetwood (England) 66
5. Lucas Glover (United States) 66
5. Kurt Kitayama (United States) 66
5. Taylor Moore (United States) 66​
5. JT Poston (United States) 66
5. Aaron Rai (England) 66
5. Xander Schauffele (United States) 66
5. Adam Svensson (Canada) 66
…
15. Scottie Scheffler (United States) 67
15. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 67
65. Jon Rahm (Spain) 73