Jon Rahm did all he could to get himself back into the mix at The Open. All it required was the lowest round ever at Royal Liverpool in its 13 times hosting the major.
Rahm birdied seven of his last 10 holes Saturday for a 63, by 2 shots the lowest score at Hoylake in The Open. The course was the only one in the modern rotation that had not yielded lower than a 65 until Saturday.
“I think it stands for itself. It’s pretty obvious. It’s my lowest round on a links course and it’s an Open Championship, right?” Rahm said “… I was playing good golf, and I knew what I was capable of.”
Ranked No. 3 in the world, Rahm holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole right about the time Brian Harman teed off with a 5-shot lead. Harman started at 10-under par. Rahm’s 63 put him at 6 under and in second place at the time he finished.
After creeping into the weekend at 2-over par following rounds of 74 and 70, Rahm made his move with four straight birdies around the turn. His finish was sharp too. He chipped to 8 feet for birdie on the 15th, holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 16th and finished with the closing birdie.
“The job today was to come out and give myself the best opportunity I could,” he said. “Whenever you get a birdie, just thinking about one more. That’s simply all you can do.”
But as the reigning Masters champion put himself in contention for a potential third major title, he also wasn’t going to get ahead of where he stands. Only one player has come from 12 or more shots back after 36 holes to win a major. That was George Duncan in the 1920 Open.
“It feels really good, but it’s a lot of work to do tomorrow,” Rahm said.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source:ESPN
