Jon Rahm finished the Open Championship with a total of +3 in 44th place in the table. He shot a 69, 74, 70 and another 70 in his four rounds at Royal Birkdale. The outcome of the third Major of the season was bittersweet. There are negative and positive things, and the objective is to learn from it in order to come out of the tournament even stronger. Rahm is already on it.
On the negative side of things, it’s important to keep in mind that his final placement in the rankings was far from the expectations that both he himself and all his fans had. His recent victory in the Irish Open and the great shape he was in when he arrived to Royal Birkdale lead us to believe there would be a better outcome.
It should also be noted that throughout the tournament, he was experiencing pain all week in his right hamstring which kept him from being able to perform at his best. It’s not anything serious, nor anything that kept him from being able to play, but it did create certain limitations with the twisting motion in his swing, mostly the shots where he had to aim to the left.
Without a doubt, the big blunder this week was the putt. He just didn’t quite manage to feel comfortable on the greens. He made a few long putts, but he didn’t read the multiple dropoffs right on the links at Royal Birkdale. It was precisely that lack of precision on the putt which held him back from getting to the top of the rankings.
Rahm’s Open Championship also had some really great things. The first is quite evident: he made it through another cut in a Major and he finished in a higher position than he did last year at Royal Troon.
Additionally, his long game was on point, especially his driver. After some doubts in the previous tournaments to the Irish Open, it seems as though the longest club in the bag has definitively made a comeback, and is now at its best. Magnificent news for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship.
Another positive aspect this week was his attitude. Despite the fact that things didn’t go as expected, the golfer from Barrika knew how to maintain his composure and his patience until the opportunity presented itself. His response on the second day to make the cut was remarkable.
Jon will now rest for one week (active) and next week he’ll be back to competition in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. He’s still at seventh in the world rankings, although next week he’ll be in sixth place, third in the Race to Dubai and fifth in the FedEX Cup.