Rigorous white-bone gray: trousers, polo shirt, cap and shoes. This is how Jon Rahm advanced shortly before the clock struck 2:00 p.m. Escorted by two burly bodyguards, the ‘Lion of Barrika’ headed to a tee of 1 full of fans who broke into applause at the arrival of the former number one in the world. Ahead, the 18 holes of the black course of the jewel that Javier Arana created in Madrid’s Club de Campo.
The Basque started with his homework done and the lesson well learned as he demonstrated with the 64 shots (-7) of the opening day. After one of his explosive exits with the driver, an insect bothered his second shot, which fell short. Same with his birdie attempt and par was the result of him to begin with. Meanwhile, Rahm threw one of his projectiles that far exceeded 300 metres, the defending champion, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, from the Canary Islands, finished his round and practically said goodbye to being able to continue in the tournament by completing the 36 holes with 143 hits (+1 ). A destination to which the player who fought for the trophy in 2021, the Catalan Adri Arnaus, went directly.
The country’s hopes to continue with the streak of three consecutive wins were almost exclusively in the hands of Rahmbo, who could reach Seve Ballesteros with the same number in the record. The par at 2 and 3, with two birdie opportunities, made the Basque gesture. Sign that he was not happy. Things weren’t going the way he wanted. He needed to continue biting blows to the field since players like the English Waring (-5 on the day, -12 total), or the Scots Gallacher (-6 to -12) and Drysdale (-5 to -11) saw holes the size of the Retiro pond. The bogey of the 5 forced to get something profitable in the par 5 of the 7.
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A prodigious third shot from the grass left the birdie almost done. More relaxed face after hole. He returned to the pair of the field, first red on the card of the day. Ten holes ahead to scratch the advantage over rivals and overcome with a high note a day that had started off crooked. Another birdie at 8 put him on the right track to fulfill that task… but the ordeal seemed to continue with two bogeys at 10 and 11. The birdie at 12 put him back in the numbering for the start of the day.
Much more important was the number 13, the one that brought red back in the day and the one that gave him confidence. Perfect hole for a book birdie… that gave Barrika wings to add another one in the 14th. State of great catharsis, usual in this enormous 27-year-old talent, to show gallons. Another blow on the 16th that, together with two final pairs, made him seal with -3 and makes him have an accumulated -10, two shots behind the leaders, the Englishman Waring and the Scottish Gallacher.