Rahm picks up where he left off
U.S. Open champ solid in first round of Scottish Open
About to start his first event as a major champion, Jon Rahm was taking some practice swings on the first tee at the Scottish Open when his status as golf ’s hottest player was underlined.
“On the tee,” the official starter said, “the U.S. Open champion, the Race to Dubai champion, the world No. 1 from Spain, Jon Rahm.”
An opening round of 5-under 66 saw him live up to the billing on Thursday.
Rahm mixed seven birdies with two bogeys over the links at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick and was two strokes off the lead held by Jack Senior, a 353rd-ranked English player who was upstaging one of the best fields assembled on the European Tour for some time.
No. 3-ranked Justin Thomas holed a 90-foot eagle putt and also birdied the last to wind up in a tie for second place with Lee Westwood, with both players shooting bogey-free 65s.
Rahm was a further stroke back in a nine-way tie for fourth and showing his game remains in great shape after a two-week break following his win at Torrey Pines for his first major title.
Another major is coming up next week — the British Open at Royal St. George’s in the south of England — and that explains why there is such a strong lineup at the Scottish Open, which is regularly used as a warmup event due to it also being played on a links course.
Of the other high-profile names, No. 11-ranked Rory Mcilroy birdied two of his last three holes and shot 1-under 70 along with Collin Morikawa, last year’s PGA Championship winner and the world No. 4. Xander Schauffele, the No. 5, shot 67.
PGA: Sebastian Munoz never knows when the switch will come on and the putts start to fall, but he recognized it happening Thursday in the John Deere Classic. Munoz was motoring along when he closed with five straight birdies at the TPC Deere Run for an 8-under 63, turning a solid day into a share of the lead with Chesson Hadley. Hadley was on the other side of the course, finishing on the front nine. It wasn’t nearly as spectacular, but he played bogey-free and had back-to-back birdies on three occasions. Hank Lebioda, who finished one shot out of the playoff last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, was poised to join them. He was 7 under through 12 holes and tied the lead with a tee shot on the 213-yard seventh hole that stopped 20 inches from the cup. But he bogeyed the par-4 ninth and had to settle for a 64. Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas also were at 64.
LPGA: Nasa Hataoka parred the final two holes to miss a chance for the second 59 in LPGA Tour history, finishing with a 10-under 61 and a four-stroke lead in the Marathon LPGA Classic. Annika Sorenstam is the only player to shoot 59 on the LPGA Tour. Hataoka was a stroke off the Highland Meadows record of 60 set by Paula Creamer in 2008.
Champions: Billy Andrade and Stephen Ames shot 5-under 65s to share the firstround lead in the U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club. Wes Short Jr. shot 66. Alex Cejka, looking for athird win in a senior major this year, and Robert Karlsson followed at 67.