No more Mr Nice Guy in Rahm revival
Jon Rahm thrust himself into contention at the halfway point of the France Open, but anyone who expects the Spaniard to be smiling his way through the weekend will be disappointed. He has given up trying to be Mr Nice.
In his stunning rise into the world’s top five, the 24-year-old earned a reputation for having a fiery temperament on the course. And as the criticisms rained down, he tried to change his on-course demeanour. But after missing the cut at the US Open in Shinnecock Hills, he travelled back to his own continent with a new attitude.
“At the US Open, I went with the mindset of I’m going to try to behave perfectly, which means having a smile on my face the whole time, but it’s hard to go against who you are, to be honest,” he said.
“What I need to play better is just letting myself feel my emotions, letting the emotions flow through me rather than trying to hold myself.
“I was more focused on trying to control myself rather than playing golf. It’s not like I won’t try not to get mad and throw clubs and yell but it’s more about just trying to be myself.
“Within some limits, it’s the last time I’m ever going to make the mistake of trying to be somebody I’m not.”
Rahm certainly looked back to his young self as he posted four birdies and an eagle in a 69 that took him to three under, three back from the pacesetter, Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult, who shot a brilliant 65.
There was some disaffection from Rahm, particularly with his second double-bogey in as many days at the par-fourth 15th, but there are saints who would boil over at Le Golf National.
When it is set up like this, it is a brutal test, even when the weather is as benign as it has been. For Matt Fitzpatrick, the Albatross Course is just about ideal now, compared with how it has played in the past three years, when he missed the cut on each occasion.
The young Englishman revels when layouts are playing at their toughest and after his 69, which took him to two under, he readied himself for a weekend in which he could go a long way to confirming his place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team and a return to this venue in September.
“When they set the golf course up like this, I think that I’ve got more chance,” he said.
“The last couple of years I think they’ve been probably prepping the golf course for Ryder Cup and they’ve had to chop a lot of rough down. And that’s just not playing to what I feel is my advantage.”
Justin Thomas, the world No2, is on the same mark as Fitzpatrick after a second successive 70.
Another Englishman, Chris Wood, is in second on four under, two behind Kinhult, after a 68. Wales’s Bradley Dredge is alongside Rahm in a tie for third.