Jon Rahm once showed that he is human too, that what he does at the weekend yes and on the other hand that winning it or almost achieving it is not normal but extraordinary, an exercise of superlatives in Competitiveness and skill, genius with top hat of sticks. But the same thing didn’t happen at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. The Barrika man was stuck in his game at the PGA Championship, with an expressive first round (+6) and a timely correction in the second (-2) to make the cut, losing patience, momentum and opportunity , for which he had to fight for the laurels of his third major – he won the US Open 2021 and the last Masters – the second of his career and of course also. Beneath a curtain of unflinching rain, between curses and even the occasional bad gesture — he was classified second, for which he faces a $10,000 fine for misconduct and bad example — though he ended up correcting himself and igniting cream sealed a +2 (+6 total) and his surrender, already far from the frontrunners. Especially from the North American Koepka (-6), with whom he fought until the last day at the previous Masters, a golfer with fangs.
The round started askew from the first tee when after a slightly deviated drive he visited the rough, good undergrowth as the Bermuda grass keeps getting heavier and rockier with the rain. Fairway, green and a stunning 20ft putt that gave him a handsome but bloody tie, 360° disgust and bogey from the start. It would be the pick-me-up of the day. After another false start, he landed in the bunker, then on the fairway, and experienced his first confusion. “Oh my god!” he exclaimed after sending the ball into two-putt territory. Another bogeyman, two out of two and nothing to celebrate on Moving Day – it’s called Move Day because it’s the day when it’s settled who’s going to fight for the trophy and who’s going to end up in the mud – the one in the he had to sign below average if he wanted to do anything. “If I’m even at the end of Saturday I can scare the front runners. If they get to -5 or -6 and I do a 66 lap on Sunday…” he hissed a few hours before the game. But the field smothered him, mines peppered everywhere from the persistent rain, and he was left with desire.
I didn’t have a day. Not even the birdie on hole four relieved him, a clean shot – a wide-popped putt – that made him stick his fist out. Mainly because he got into the rough again on the fifth floor and, after struggling to free himself, exploded when he hit a microphone that was at ground level with his stick. A gesture he would repeat a little later as he chained another three bogeys. “Oh wow, look at that! Lucky you!” he yelled after the 8am drive. And he had it because the ball was behind the fence (an inaccessible spot) but not out of bounds, so the referee dropped it with no penalty. But a terrible chip got him to sign another bugbear and complaints ensued. “One more time!” he shouted. “Ball with water!” he wailed; “What bad luck!”…
Realizing he wasn’t going to enjoy the PGA anymore, not even the fight to try it, Rahm relaxed. Because of this, he laughed after a stunning putt on the 13th hole and humorously took the birdie, a good face in bad weather. Never better said. And that resulted in him regaining his golf game, a beautiful wedge on the next hole to tie another birdie, ending up three on the last six holes. At his side, once again for taking the same blows, repeated his starting partner, Australian Cameron Smith, blond moustache, unkempt hair and soaring golf, LIV player and champion of past The Open, who didn’t care about anything else than his ball, on par with his tag. Things weren’t going so well for Pablo Larrazábal, the other Spaniard to make it – Arnaus and Otaegui stayed on the road – who finished the loop +4 (+8 overall).
There was certainly no one like Koepka, lord of the greats – he had two US Opens and two PGAs under his belt, in addition to 13 top-five finishes in the majors – a competitive beast who posted a -4 in the majors scored Tag, favorite for the scepter after battling Rahm the Masters until he ran out of breath. Behind him Hovland (-5), always aggressive and looking for birdies, who shows good humor and manners on the course, a young golfer who has been looking for the best for a few golf courses; Fourth at the previous British and seventh at the Masters. But there is more. Like Conners (-5), who continues to play beautifully from the tee and kicks solidly, his previous mistake. Like scientist DeChambeau (-3) rediscovering his unorthodox swing. Like the extremely dangerous Scheffler (-2), even if he didn’t have the day yesterday. And like two old acquaintances who don’t understand giving up: Justin Rose (-2) and finally Rory McIlroy (-1). They are all the only underperformers in the tournament. Great distance with Rahm, the last Masters champion who is the only one able to win four tournaments since the course started (they join The American Express, The Genesis Invitational and Sentry Tournament), who has the number for good reason one in the ranking is . This time, however, he will not fight for the Wanamaker. But no matter how insane the course, the day, or the shots sometimes drove him insane, that’s normal in golf. Even for Jon Rahm.
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