Jon Rahm is not hiding after the way of the cross on the first day at the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters. The Biscayan, who closed with +7 after five bogeys, a double and no birdies, sees his continuity in the tournament threatened at the weekend and assumes responsibility. “One hundred percent is my fault. The course is what it is and I am the one who hits the blows. It is the good and the bad of golf, that whatever happens is my fault,” he said at the end of his return.
Still, the 26-year-old from Biscay left a silver lining for hope. “Obviously I see it feasible to pass the cut. What happens is that you have to play very well. The cut will be high if this wind comes out tomorrow. You have to play low but there are options,” he said. It was a very difficult day in Valderrama, with gusty and changeable winds, and Rahm could not find a way to adjust to the conditions. “It tastes bad for me, not for the public. It is a course that I like. I have not made a birdie. Even when I have had options and I have thrown good putts they have not wanted to enter,” he lamented. And he ruled out that the fans who followed his game had something to do with his performance: “The wind and Valderrama have hurt me. The public has been good, as always. Supporting.”
It’s hard to find a worse round of Rahmbo as a professional in Europe. In the United States, that +10 on the third day at The Players 2017 does come to mind. But then the cut had already passed. This time it’s on the wire. “I do not remember turning around similar situations. In Olympia Fields maybe when I did +6. But there was no cut. I would have failed,” he confessed.
Still the Lion of Barrika found something to cling to: “I’m glad I didn’t throw the lap. The last two putts to make 78, well that’s better than 79 or 80. If I finally make it to the weekend, those putts are going to count a lot.” It is already a base on which to build the comeback he needs this Friday.