Jon Rahm unleashed.
The Basque golfer has signed this Thursday a card of 64 strokes, seven under par, on the first day of the Open of Spain, to an impact of the three leaders, the Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the Dutch Darius Van Driel and the Chinese Ashun Wu .
Rahm has returned to being the dominant player he is accustomed to, author of some “perfect” first nine holes (from 10 to 18), according to himself, a canyon from the tee, straight and long in the narrow fairways of the Villa de Campo Club. Madrid.
And fresh of hands and of mind, with the gas tank much more full than the previous course.
“Then the body did not give me what the head asked for.
Now the expectations are more real”, said Rahm after closing the round on Thursday.
The number six in the world fully pressed the accelerator from his first hole, the 10th of the course, a
birdie
that unleashed a wave of his best game.
Five under par in those first nine steps, a robot without failure from the
tee
and a firm hand with the
putt
, and that along the way he left some opportunities to discount more shots to the card, such as a short shot in the 13 In exchange, he retaliated with a manual
eagle
at 14, a par five, hitting from 10 meters, and closing that first stage with
birdies
at 17 and 18. Almost perfection.
Wonderful putt for @JonRahmpga's eagle in the 14th. He is already the sole leader of the @accionaopen!!!
pic.twitter.com/ZtiTeAAL7h
– Golf in Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarGolf) October 6, 2022
Around the corner, some obstacles.
The first error that penalized him awaited him on hole 1, a fairway to the right that forced him to charge one more stroke when returning the ball to the center.
Thus began a second part of the day in which the Basque was more erratic from the start, although he barely deviated a few feet from the fairway and with the ball in positions that were not too compromised.
That saving version of Rahm then emerged to hold on to the field and turn some situations into pairs that could lead to
bogeys
(recoveries on 2 and 3).
Saved those potholes, Rahm resumed the climb with a
birdie
on the par five of the 4th hole, when he asked the public that gathered around him to “silence, please”, and another on the 5th, when he took advantage of the walk from the tee to recharge his batteries (like his
caddy
) with a sandwich of ham.
The fireworks came at the 8th hole with a
chip
from off the green directly into the hole from 14 meters.
Applause thundered.
"How great you are!", "Thank you for coming, Jon, thank you!", "Aúpa Larrabea!", was heard from the public.
On a Thursday morning, a small crowd accompanied the Spanish star (among them walked Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Alcaraz's coach), a foretaste of the crowd that is expected over the weekend.
-7 for @JonRahmpga!
The 🇪🇸 leaves us blows like this in his staging at the #AccionaOpen 🔝
🎥 @DPWorldTour
pic.twitter.com/Opyvx5Iyw7
— ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid (@accionaopen) October 6, 2022
"I've played well and I'm not going to ask for more.
The note is very good.
The shots I have missed, except for hole 1, have not gone very far, and the first nine holes I have played perfect”, Rahm analyzed before heading to the traditional line to sign autographs and take photos with the fans;
“The important thing is to start strong because we had to take advantage of the easier conditions.
It will be more difficult the rest of the week.”
This Friday, Rahm will depart from the 1st
tee
at 14.00.
The surprise at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid was signed by the 19-year-old amateur from Madrid, Luis Masaveu, who in his first official round in a European circuit tournament delivered a -5 card (
eagle
in 14), just like Álvaro Quiros and Alejandro Canizares.
Masaveu, a striker who sends the ball 285 meters in flight, is an exception among the Spanish academy that usually emigrates to the United States to finish their training.
He has remained in Madrid, surrounded by the team he trusts, another way that he currently shows off at the Spanish Open.
The reigning champion, Rafa Cabrera Bello, will have to row to make the cut after finishing +3.
Luis Masaveu, on the first day of the Spanish Open.
Classification of the Acciona Open of Spain.
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