Rahm hangs on to win Mexico Open
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Jon Rahm could have done without the stress he faced over the final two hours in the Mexico Open. It still was worth it to pick up his first victory since the U.S. Open last summer.
Rahm rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole to pull out of a fourway tie for the lead, and he had to make two tough pars and a finish more nervy than he expected.
The relief and satisfaction was evident when he tapped in for par on the final hole at Vidanta Vallarta for a oneshot victory. He pumped his arm and then pounded his fist downward, and at point he looked skyward and exhaled.
“Today was a battle,” Rahm said. “But I got it done.”
Tony Finau and Brandon Wu each closed with a 63, while Kurt Kitayama birdied the final hole from a back bunker for a 68. They tied for second.
Rahm had a couple of close calls in Mexico City when it was a World Golf Championship at Chapultepec. Now the Mexico Open, which has a history dating to 1944, is a regular PGA Tour event for the first time. And it got a popular winner.
Against one of the weaker fields of the year – Rahm at No. 2 was the only player from the top 15 in the world – the Spaniard was a heavy favorite and he played that way from his opening 64. He just didn’t feel any expectations.
“I like to think every time I tee it up I’m a favorite. I play to win,” Rahm said. “Fortunately, I got my seventh PGA Tour win. It was a pretty stressful weekend, all the way to the end.”
Staked to a two-shot lead going into the final round, he never trailed. But it was never easy.
Rahm’s had a one-shot lead after his lone bogey of the round on the tough par-4 10th.
Well ahead of him, Wu holed a 25foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to join him at 16 under. Kitayama, playing in the final group with Rahm, got up-anddown from right of the green on the par-5 12th to tie. And then Finau went birdie-eagle-birdie to get in the mix and capped off his 63 with a birdie to make it a four-way tie.
“I really wanted to put together a nice week and I was able to do that this week and gave myself a chance to do something special right at the end,” Finau. “Making a 3 on 18 probably would have been a big deal, but making that putt for birdie, a lot of confidence builders on a day like today and I’ll carry that with me the rest of the season.”
Rahm never lost his patience. His chip left of the green on the par-5 14th raced 12 feet by the hole, but he hit his best putt of the round and made it for birdie for a one-shot lead.
His wedge to the 15th came up short and his chip ran 5 by the hole. He made that to stay in front, and then had to two-putt from 50 feet on the 16th for his par. Rahm missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him room for error.
Still, the closing par 5 at Vidanta Vallarta is easy reachable, and Rahm birdied it the three previous times. This time, his fade stayed straight and instead of dropping into the bunker, it nestled in deep rough on a steep slope just above the sand. He did well to punch that out just over a waste area and into the fairway.
His approach to a back pin just trickled off the green, and he navigated the slick putt perfectly to a few inches. Instead of waiting for Kitayama and Cameron Champ to finish, Rahm quickly stepped in and closed the deal.
European Tour
GIRONA, Spain – Home favorite Adri Arnaus finally won a dramatic playoff to beat Oliver Bekker at the Catalunya Championship and claim his first European tour win.
Arnaus, who is from Barcelona in northeast Spain near Girona, trailed overnight leader Bekker by seven shots at the start of the day. But he carded a final round 7-under 65 to pull level. In contrast to Becker’s even-par 72, Arnaus’ fourth round included five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12th.
In the playoff, Arnaus and Becker made par on five trips to the 18th hole, but when they went to the 17th Bekker’s bogey gave Arnaus the title.
The 27-year-old Arnaus had previously finished runner-up five times on the European tour. It was his third playoff in a span of seven months.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been looking for this one for a while. To be able to come through here, where I practice in the summers, they take care of me so well. I know the course quite well. I’ve been able to play some really good golf and to do it here is special.”
Bekker was also seeking his first tour win.