Jon Rahm took a step forward this year in the PLAYERS Championship. It wasn’t the dream week he had imagined, but he played better than in 2017 and most of all, he walked away having learned several lessons that will allow him to go into the tournament better equipped for the battle in the future.
The golfer from Barrika finished the Fifth Major with an accumulated total of three under par, after turning in three cards under par on Thursday, Friday and Sunday (68, 70 and 70) and one card over par on Saturday (77). Once again, the third day took a toll on him, although he managed to stay afloat to make it past the second cut of the week, ending on a good note. He finished in 63rd place.
Rahm learned a lot this week. He is starting to feel more and more comfortable every time with the Bermuda greens on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass, although it was difficult at first to get used to the speed. He also discovered paths from the tee that allow him to be more aggressive, but always under control, for future years. For example, on the 16th hole, where he hit the ball the farthest off the tee in the whole week this Sunday, left him in a good position to attack the green.
Jon finished THE PLAYERS with an excellent output of birdies. He was one of the best in that aspect, and the key in taking it to the next level is to minimize the errors. Be that as it may, he’s convinced that he can play really well on this course which is, in the end, the most important point he’s walked away with this week.
The next goal is to rest this week to recover in order to go into the next tournament, the Fort Worth in Colonial, with the batteries charged, a course where he has always felt at ease and where he came very close to winning last year. The following tournament will be the US Open in Shinnecock Hills.