Rahm reigns in Spain but Poulter falls short
JON RAHM spoke of his ‘hardest Sunday’ after firing a closing five-under-par 67 to win the Spanish Open in Madrid yesterday. The world No 4 became the sixth Spaniard to win the tournament since it achieved European Tour status in 1972, finishing on 20 under, two shots clear of Ireland’s Paul Dunne. But in the United States, Ian Poulter failed in his bid for a second win on the PGA tour inside two weeks, eventually having to settle for a tie of seventh place in the RBC Heritage tournament at Hilton Head. Poulter, who began the final round one shot clear of the field, could only card a four-over 75 which left him three shots adrift of eventual winner Satoshi Kodaira of Japan, who saw off Korea’s Kim Si-woo at the third play-off hole. Poulter had claimed a place in the Masters by winning the Houston Open on April 1, but could not reproduce that form. Rahm, who follows Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia in winning his home event, said after his third European Tour victory: ‘It’s probably the hardest Sunday I’ve ever had to play because of the amount of crowds I was carrying. ‘I saw the willingness and the feeling that everybody had to want me to win. They were pushing so hard and I felt that. As a golfer it’s hard to deal with the public’s emotions, so I tried to isolate myself and that’s perhaps why I didn’t play my best golf. ‘I’ve been blessed to be national champion with the Spanish Golf Federation many times, European champion and world champion representing them. So being able to win this as a pro and do this for them and the Spanish people feels great.’