Rahm throws a Spaniard in the works

JOSE-MARIA OLAZABAL never managed it. Neither did Sergio Garcia. Indeed, you have to go back to the great Seve Ballesteros in 1991 and the sixth of his victories in the season-long race, to find the last time a Spaniard won the Harry Vardon Trophy.

Today, Jon Rahm is perfectly poised to take another step forward in his blossoming career by winning the modern version of the old Order of Merit — the Race to Dubai.

It is far from a done deal. There are all sorts of twists and turns that are possible; all manner of scenarios that could develop during what promises to be an enthralling finale to the European Tour season.

But it would be a brave man who bet against the 25-year-old Rahm from achieving something that only one Spanish legend has managed to this point.

‘It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it,’ said Rahm, who hails from the Basque village of Barrika. ‘Anytime you can join a list where there’s only one Spaniard and it’s Seve, it’s very emotional. When you think that players of the calibre of Jose-Maria or Sergio didn’t win it, what a proud moment it would be.’

Rahm, who won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship two years ago, is tied for the lead this time with plucky Frenchman, Michael Lorenzo-Vera after a third round 66 yesterday.

He needs a top-two finish to win the Race to Dubai, and will be wary of the fact that Rory McIlroy bounced back into contention in typically flamboyant style with a 65 to lurk just two behind in third place. Tommy Fleetwood had two birdies in his last five holes for a 70 to be four behind in fourth spot, and still very much in the picture.

McIlroy cannot win the overall contest but he can clearly be a thorn in Rahm’s side with another low round today. ‘It’s great to put myself back in contention to win the event,’ said the Northern Irishman. ‘It’s obviously going to be a heck of a day with Rahmbo right there and Tommy, while Mike is holding steady. But if I could make it five wins for the season and equal my career-best haul, it would be the perfect end to a great year.’

As for race leader Bernd

Wiesberger of Austria, to say he is being put through the wringer is an understatement. He missed a short putt at the 18th for a 73 and tossed his ball into the adjoining water hazard in frustration. On two under, a distant 13 shots off the lead, he is in a helpless position if Rahm wins or is second on his own. But if

McIlroy, say, catches Rahm and Lorenzo-Vera wins the event, get the calculator out. Wiesberger would need to finish solo 21st or better to hang on to his lead — and right now he is joint 24th.

For Fleetwood, who came from six shots back to win last Sunday, it is a simple equation. First he has to catch Rahm, then he has to finish in the top two. If he won the event, he would make it $7.5million in earnings over the past fortnight.

Yes, there is no escaping the money. With a $3m first prize — not to mention a $2.1m drop to second place — plus $2m for winning the Race to Dubai, a day of drama and incredible riches will bring down the season’s curtain.

the most compelling option. He says: ‘After the meeting in May, it was very clear, they don’t want us to stay [Ashley disputes this and agreement on this point is unlikely any time this century].

‘We had to start thinking about the future. We were talking about this and [that] China is too far. “Oof, do you know how many hours on the plane!” It was a little bit difficult at the beginning. But we said: “We have international breaks, we have the winter break, we have time where you come to China and we go to Spain”.’

Benitez feels he has struck a work-life balance. ‘When I have some time I go there,’ he says. ‘I go ice-skating with them. They have to also understand it is your passion. I try all the time to be with them.’

HIS problems now are different. On Friday morning, the day before Dalian play Hebei at home, the hunt is on for Yannick Carrasco. The Belgian wide player is not just the superstar of Dalian Yifang, but of the entire Super League.

Carrasco played and scored for his country in Cyprus on Tuesday night, which was breakfast time on Wednesday in Dalian.

International players are key to any Chinese team. Four are allowed in the squad but only three can play. But international breaks mean they arrive back jetlagged. This is no fault of Carrasco’s. It just takes time and a personal issue meant Benitez knew he would be delayed. Fortunately, Carrasco will emerge soon after and there is relief all round. Yesterday he played and scored in the 3-3 draw against Hebei China Fortune.

It wasn’t the best evening to show off the club’s progress. Often they get 55,000. Yesterday on a cold winter’s day, at the end of the season with the team safe from relegation, it was about 15,000.

The federation has suspended domestic transfers, which is a problem for Benitez and Matic, who had some aces up their sleeve for next season. The key to success is not necessarily foreigners, but the eight Chinese nationals who have to play.

Guangzhou Evergrande, for whom ex-Tottenham midfielder Paulinho is the star, are the Bayern

Munich of China. Immaculately connected and well resourced, they have won seven of the past eight league titles.

Dalian aren’t like that yet but the city is a footballing hotbed. Russian sailors brought the game at the turn of the 19th century. They won eight league titles dating back to the Nineties. But ownership issues culminating in a recent relegation mean this is now a rebuild with Wanda in charge since the beginning of the year.

Rules are plentiful. An under-23 player must be in the starting XI. But that simply meant teams would field a sacrificial youngster and humiliatingly sub him in the first minute. So there must be an under 23 player on the pitch for 90 minutes; no more than three foreigners can be on the pitch, so one must always be on the bench. Initially Benitez required a club official on the bench to check his substitutions were legitimate.

IT is a crisp winter’s day as players gather for training. Not quite the freezing windswept chill of the north-east of England, but it is extremely cold and Benitez is in shorts, as he always was in Newcastle. He has a special greeting, a broad smile and hand clasp, for Salomon Rondon, the former West Brom and Newcastle striker. ‘The hero of Venezuela,’ beams Benitez. Rondon scored a hat-trick in 34 minutes in Japan last week in a 4-1 win for his country.

Now Rafa is reminiscing about his sports science degree at University in Madrid. This was when he played for Spain at the World Student Games in Mexico.

After graduation, he worked in a gym by day, coached at Real Madrid by night and dated Montse, a lawyer specialising in aid work in the developing world. Benitez later recalls a story from that two-year hiatus in his career, the period between Inter and

Chelsea. It was a time to reconnect with his family while his daughters were still at primary school. He did the school run.

‘The children were playing football and one of the parents was coaching them,’ he recalls. ‘I was watching the training sessions and after a couple of weeks they said: “Do you want to help?”‘The first training session I was doing passing drills, talking about “pass and move”, I was very Liverpool, no? Pass and move. Then we played a game. The other team had a big keeper and they threw the throw-ins very long and the keeper was kicking it long. They were stronger. Our team, one of the best players was a winger, a left footer. And because he was one of the best he was playing nearly as striker.

‘But the opposition had a very small right-back, so at half-time I said to the coach: “If we move this one to the left…” He did well and we won. Parents of the other team were complaining. “Oh you have a professional coach!” It was a nice time.’

How satisfying was that? Benitez beams, recalling the memory as if it were Istanbul in 2005.

‘Massive!’ he says.

‘I COACHED MY KIDS’ SCHOOL TEAM. WE WON AND PARENTS WERE ANGRY’