Tennis

Jon Rahm from exhibition (65) to suffering (76)

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From the exhibition of the first return to the pick and shovel, first, and to the suffering, later, of the second. Jon Rahm went from 65 strokes on Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, a tournament that he is playing for the second time and in a state where he has yet to win, to 76 (+4) on Friday.

Jon Rahm, results

All on a fairly windy day and tougher conditions on the Bay Hill course. He left early in the morning and his card included two water balls, one each part of the selective course, four bogeys and a double bogey for just two birdies. With 141 (-3) in total, he left outside the top-10 and finished the second day six shots behind American Kurt Kitayama, leader with 135 total (-9) after delivering a second card of 68.

Jon was erratic again from the tee -and here you pay dearly- and also in some shots to the green. And unlike the first round, this time the putt did not accompany him as much as he would have wanted. The Bermuda rough of this field gobbles up the balls and Barrika’s suffered his own to save pairs when the situation got complicated.

He finished leading Thursday with 65 (-7) and two ahead, and maintained that privileged position until the 14th hole (his 5th because he went out for 10th) after a bogey that left him with -6. At 15 (6), after the ball into the tee water, he hit a painful double bogey-7 that dropped him to -4 but still in the top 10.

On the last three holes, a bit of everything: a great shot by Rahm on the par 3 of 7 (birdie), three putts on 8 (bogey) closing the round, the truth is that a bit to forget, with another second shot to green missed and another bogey. Of those who were in the lead, he was the only one who finished on par. Now it’s time to analyze the failures, reset, turn the page soon and continue the fight over the weekend.

Jon started after 7.30 American time for the 10th hole, and the truth is that the drive from the tee was very good and very long, 285 meters away by the Basque. He played a discreet approach about 4.5 meters from the flag and missed the birdie. His match partner, the Olympic gold medalist, Xander Schauffele, did sign the ‘3’ instead, playing a great shot from the fairway bunker and scoring from two meters.

On the 11th Rahm went overboard with the drive and then, missing a shot, couldn’t save par. First bogey of the day. On 12 and 13 he made par and on hole 14, par 3, he nailed the ball one meter from the rag to add the first birdie of the day and return to -7 at the top of the standings.

On the 15th hole he had a very clear chance to open a small hole after a good second shot leaving the ball two meters away, but he missed the putt; he did not take advantage of the second par 5 of this second part of the course (discreet bunker exit and subsequent 3.5-meter putt that did not reach the hole) and on the 17th the existence was complicated, well resolved for that reason in the end, with two long putts.

In the 18th he missed the second shot, to the bunker on the left, but he came out of the sand very well and tied the ‘4’. Total, that the summary of his first 9 holes was a bogey and a birdie, -7 in the table and led by the American Kitayama. Coliderato he gave up holes later.

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