Rahm drives up the leaderboard with a burst of fire and fury
RAHM FAKED A PUNCH AT A DIRECTION SIGN AND A BUGGY
JON RAHM exploded into Irish Open contention yesterday with a fine 67 at Ballyliffin despite flashes of temper which consistently simmer inside his Basque bulk.
After missing a birdie putt on the 17th, the beefy Spaniard kicked his golf bag and then muttered angrily to himself on the long walk to the 18th tee where he lashed out at a water cooler.
Things flared again when Rahm saw a birdie putt on the 18th lip out, prompting him to cry out in anguish: ‘You gotta be kidding me.’
As he made for the recorder’s cabin, Rahm faked a punch at a direction sign, and also a buggy, before stomping angrily, and noisily, to check his card.
Improbably, he descended from his Vesuvian peak within minutes, and gave a handful of interviews in which you’d never have guessed he was on the peak of erupting.
After opening with a 74, Rahm has reached for the driver as his choice of weapon around the claustrophobic fairways of the Glashedy Links - the strategy is working.
‘I’m eight under par since I pulled the driver out on Friday afternoon. I’m going to stick with it tomorrow for sure,’ he said.
Rahm raced to the turn in 30 blows, which included six birdies and he must have been licking his Desperate Dan chops as he turned for home.
But a few untimely squalls kicked up at the wrong time and he had to make do with a run of nine pars to finish on six under for the championship.
He had hoped to be no more than five or six back but the afternoon fireworks of unheralded South African Erik Van Rooyen who took Route 66 to lead on 14 under par, have left him eight adrift.
Most players would regard that gap too far to bridge but Rahm, the world number five, has vowed to have a right cut at Van Rooyen today
‘Its not easy to defend a lead, especially if somebody is coming from behind making birdies. If I can hit if off the tee like I have the last few days, I’ll give myself chances.
‘I felt like I could have gone a lot lower today, as I left shots out there on 16, 17 and 18. Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day,’ said the 23-year-old, who will seek inspiration from Seve Ballesteros, the only Spaniard to win back to back Irish Open titles.
‘To tie Seve in that sense of being the second Spaniard to win it twice would be amazing,’ he said.
Rahm is the main man in the chasing pack after Rory McIlroy failed to ignite and spluttered to a 72 to stay one under par.
McIlroy got to three under through six holes but his uncertainties on the green returned to taunt him as he missed putts from between six and nine feet at the next three holes to fall back to one under his challenge was officially over. McIlroy’s total number of putts this week stands at 96, which is way too high for a player of his talents. ‘If I had 100 putts every week, and hit the ball half decent, I’d win every week,’ he said wryly. With The Open fast approaching, McIlroy needs to correct a problem which is obvious, even to him. ‘I’ve been aiming a little further left (on the greens) than I thought and know that’s something to work on in the next few days. ‘I’ve been stuck in neutral this week but I’ve one more competitive round before The Open and intend to sign off with a good one tomorrow and give myself some momentum going to Carnoustie.’