It wasn’t the dream week Rahm had hoped for at Shinnecock Hills. He did not make the cut in the US Open after shooting a 78 on Thursday and a 77 on Friday.
The golfer from Barrika was not able to bring out the best version of his game against the tough conditions of the Long Island course. Off the tee and, especially with the irons to green, he was not nearly as accurate and precise as he usually is, and those slip-ups on this type of extremely difficult course come at a high price.
Simply put, things didn’t go as hoped for this week, although he maintained a good attitude. Jon did not give up at any point in time and kept fighting, even when the cut was already unreachable. Jon just couldn’t establish a point at which he could make a good comeback in the tournament. He needed more executions, seeing as how the putter wasn’t exactly helpful either, which is critical at that level of difficulty.
For example, in the second round he did not make any birdies, truly an anomaly in his career. In fact, since he went pro, this is only the third round in which he did not make a single birdie; the other two were in the Memorial Tournament last year in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
It’s the second cut he’s missed of the majors, together with the US Open at Erin Hills last year. However, there’s still a positive message to take home. He’s played eight majors and has made it all the way through the weekend in six of them.
In any event, there’s no other option than to keep moving forward, to learn as much as possible from this week, and to focus on the upcoming tournaments. The next event will be the Open de France Tour, held on the same course that will host the finals of the Ryder Cup.
Despite the logical disappointment from this week’s outcome, Rahm is not one to dwell on his mistakes. He has his sights set on the future. “I missed the cut in the US Open last year as well, and afterwards I won the Irish Open, then missed the cut at Valderrama, and ended up winning in Dubai to finish out the year. It’s ok, that’s golf, one bad week, nothing more”, he assures. Competitors, beware.