Newsletter

Rahm wants the tartan jacket now

Tirelessly, from Georgia to South Carolina, from the brilliant triumph in Augusta to the narrow and dangerous fairways of Harbor Town Golf Links, Jon Rahm appears as the main favorite to conquer the RBC Heritage after being crowned in the Masters. He already has the green jacket and now he is looking for the tartan one, the tartan garment that distinguishes the champion of the tournament that starts tomorrow on the island of Hilton Head. Barely 200 kilometers from where he won the first ‘major’ of the year, the Biscayan will meet again with the leading players in the ranking in the coming days.

Rahm will have to recover from the tension and emotions accumulated in Augusta if he intends to stand out in the Heritage, which brings together well-armed rivals in this edition, 27 of the top 30 in the world rankings, although without number three, Rory McIlroy. He will share tomorrow’s matches (7:17 p.m.) and Friday (2:17 p.m.) with two other winners in Augusta – the American Jordan Spieth (2015) and the Australian Adam Scott (2013) – to offer a high-altitude duel.

All of them will face one of the toughest courses on the North American circuit. Designed by architect Pete Dye under the advice of Jack Nicklaus, Harbor Town has been a nightmare since its first edition in 1969 for many talented golfers. Its very narrow corridors, surrounded on both sides by pines, magnolias and oaks, make up a barrier that requires staying on the street and avoiding crashing into trees, which happens frequently. In the South Carolina scenario, expertise is worth more than strength, the surgical blow over power.

If the tee off is already difficult, you must also take great precautions when you come to one of the smaller greens of the PGATour, protected by bunkers that are difficult to escape from. The flags are usually placed in inclined areas that make it necessary to prioritize the precision of the impact on the ball from clear positions, as well as avoiding numerous water obstacles. And after the jungle on the first sixteen holes, the last two, with the iconic lighthouse on the 18th, lose their vegetation and open up to the dangerous winds coming from the lagoon.

A ‘high’ tournament

So many traps and surprises can turn this course into an ordeal even if it is short (6,511 metres, par 71) and flat. Only four Europeans have won there: Nick Faldo (1984), Bernhard Langer (1985), Carl Pettersson (2012) and Graeme McDowell (2013). Rahm finished 33rd three years ago, in his only appearance at Heritage. The PGA has granted it the category of ‘elevated’ tournament, with which the prize pool has risen to 20 million dollars, 3,600,000 for the champion. It is considered a classic on the United States calendar and one of the five competitions that are attended by invitation.

Starting tomorrow, Rahm has the opportunity to increase his extraordinary record this year on Hilton Head Island after successes at the Tournamet of Champions, The American Express, Genesis Invitational and the Masters. If he prevails at Harbor Towun, he’ll follow in the footsteps of other golfing legends like Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Langer, and Price, who have already donned the tartan jacket.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending