“I can’t swing, I can’t focus”, Jon Rahm told his caddie after an iron shot so wild that you would not believe it was him swinging the club. It sums up the nightmare the Basque player had to endure during the first part of his round at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. It was a bleak day for the Barrika native, during which, up to the 11th hole, everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Luck was not on his side.
His misfortune began on the 4th. The par 5 is short for the Spaniard, and it is a perfect fit for his fade, but, just as they were yesterday, the trees were unkind to him. He again finished up against a trunk and was only able to chip out sideways. It didn’t matter too much, from the 190 yards he had to the pin, he left himself a six-foot putt. However, the demons that have haunted him for the last year were back. His putt didn’t even touch the hole. This time he blamed a fly that landed on him just before impact.
Jon looked furious on the 5th tee and his rage found its way into his drive, which ended in the rough on the left. What happened next practically never happens to a player of his class. That dreaded word; shank. The fans were dumfounded. Now he found himself in an atrocious lie and having to contend with a tree and a bunker. He went for broke and it didn’t pay off. The result was the first blemish on his card.
On the 7th and 8th, he made back-to-back birdies, then a pure iron into the 9th left him another birdie opportunity that he failed to convert. The collapse came on 10 and 11, followed by his “I can’t swing, I can’t focus” comment. Two of the worst irons the Basque has hit this year by far. The three birdies on the trot that followed were no surprise, though, as Rahm is consistently among the world’s best in the bounce-back stats. From the outside, his anger probably seems more significant that it actually is. He has always been at the top of that statistic because he is mentally stronger than the rest. When things started to get ugly, he drew on all his magic. Rahmbo’s management of those moments is out of this world.
His efforts to make the trip to the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid every year are invaluable to Spanish golf. Two very young boys were lucky enough to see him from just a few feet away on the 9th tee. The look on their faces, in a moment they will never forget, on its own justifies the Basque’s presence in the Spanish capital. He is a player who transcends golf and we should count ourselves lucky that he is aware of the great responsibility that entails. He told DP World Tour at the tournament presentation that “it’s my duty to be here”.
The Barrika native showed once again that even when he is playing badly he can comfortably go under par. He has been doing so his whole career and today was no exception. His three-under par 68 on a ‘bad’ day for a -10 total leaves him just two shots off the lead.
The ex-world number 1 still has every chance of taking the title having come through a tough day. It is hard to remember the Spaniard having two days in a row where he has struggled as much as he did today. The rest of the field should watch their backs, because Rahm is determined to lift his third Open de España trophy and to equal Seve’s haul.
Jon Rahm answered questions from the press after round 2 at the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid:
Did your response on the 12th come just in time?
Yes, it seems like they’re the only holes on the course I’ll birdie without playing well. The 11th was a turning point, it couldn’t have got any worse. I nearly hit another socket like I did on the 5th. That was my mentality, the fans supported me and I played the last 7 holes great.
How did you find the fans today?
Really good. There were far more people than yesterday and you could tell from the start. They always help. When things aren’t going well, even when I hole a gimme, feeling the warmth of the people helps. I go to the next hole feeling different. Even though sometimes you can’t tell, I feel different inside.
Are you where you wanted to be?
No, I’d like to have a seven-shot lead. But I don’t. I’m still in a good position, I’m better than I was when I won in 2019. You have to go low because people are playing very well, but I’m close. There are two entire days left and two shots is nothing so if we start well tomorrow and I can put a solid round in, I hope to be leading by Sunday.
Will the course get more difficult?
It’s not up to me. It depends on how they decide to water it. They have to be careful with the greens because with Madrid being so dry and with the good weather, it means you can lose them quickly. I understand that they want them harder, but they can’t lose them. The fairways are already hard, I was surprised with my drive on the 16th.
