Jon Rahm gave a master class in craft and mental toughness yesterday at Oak Hill Country Club. The demodelor plus six of the day before on the opening day of the PGA Championship had placed him in an extreme situation in the second ‘Major’ of the season and he was forced to bring out the number one stripes to know how to handle himself on the wire and get out graceful of a capital company. The Biscayan felt the sword of Damocles from the cut at all times – not having passed it would have meant a blow in this 2023 to frame – and, nevertheless, his pulse did not tremble.
The 12th hole was undoubtedly the turning point of his intense tour. At that moment the result that opened the doors of the weekend was the plus five and Barrika’s left that green with a bogey that left him on the ropes. Far from being intimidated, he gritted his teeth, clung to the ground as only he knows how and chained three superlative birdies, a trademark of the house, among the roars of thousands of North American fans who crowded the ropes of this unique stage where you can feel the cold air. from nearby Lake Ontario. The greens had been hostile and taming them was decisive in giving himself at least the option of playing today and tomorrow. In addition, the rain made an appearance in the form of downpours.
How complicated is this field in Rochester. It looks like a place from a fairy tale, but among its leafy oak groves there are all kinds of traps that make it dark and inhospitable. The tall grass slopes that protect the fairways wreaked havoc again. Falling into them is synonymous with problems because the ball literally disappears and that is why being accurate from the start is key. On Thursday Rahm was not as usual and he suffered a lot. Yesterday, his woods and irons were well aligned and the ball found the right direction on most occasions. With precision from the tee he had a lot of gains, but then he had to finish off with the putter near the holes. It took him a world to get it, but his perseverance earned the deserved prize in the trio of flags that served as a boost in a tournament that had been born crooked.
You only need to take a look at the classification to see how tough Oak Hill is. After the first two days, which establish the initial selection, only ten players have been able to finish below par. They lead the classification with less than five Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland. They are closely followed by Bryson Dechambeau and Justin Suh, one and two strokes away, respectively. Australian Cam Davis, in 19th place, already has a plus one in his locker. Rahm will hit the 1st tee today with a plus four fought to exhaustion thanks to his 68 shot card, two under par. He had planted himself at the start of 16 with minus three, but a bogey forced him to squeeze in the terrible 17 and 18. Both holes are very long and it is mandatory to take the fairway to avoid shocks. Rahm succeeded in both cases.
New insights
“This is very long, of course I’m going to fight,” the Biscayan proclaimed on Thursday after the severe setback he suffered at the premiere of this Grande. And boy did he do it. The objective of clearing the cut had become very expensive and he has already achieved it. Now we have to look at the tournament with new perspectives. The Biscayne was convinced that “the most difficult” remains and that the conditions will harden due to the eventual appearance of wind and rain, which can cause significant changes in the cards. Today it is time to gradually eliminate the red numbers.
2023-05-19 23:45:04
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