Jon Rahm (+2) has ended its participation in the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a 74 stroke return. He has finished in the top 20 in his first appearance on Bay Hill. The balance is not bad, although it is obviously far from the expectations of a World Number 1 like the golfer from Barrika.
Rahm leaves the brave tour of Orlando with the glass of frustration to the limit. Once again he had to count to three and four to lower his heart rate on the course because once again his game from tee to green was significantly better than the result. The greens of Bay Hill have stood in the way of Rahm’s attempt at a heroic comeback. And it is that in view of the final winning result, the option existed.
High-flying Sunday in the Arnold Palmer. The great pickle was expected for Saturday and there was something, but on Sunday it has been a great one. Because yes, today was even harder than yesterday. What game conditions. the closest thing to a US Open which is played in PGA Tour. Firm, fast and increasingly unruly brown greens, a terrifying rough and a wind that at times has blown in gusts even stronger than yesterday. A Molotov cocktail for the cards.
With this scenario even Jon Rahm, who started seven blows from the head, the doors of victory were opened for him. He needed something extraordinary, yes. Almost alien, too. He was forced to sign the best lap of the day, but it was not a utopia, both for numbers and for Jon’s game in the first 10 holes.
Despite the initial bogey on hole 1, after hitting a good second shot from the fairway but ending up in the bottom rough due to the drum greens of Bay Hill, Jon has managed to open a few doors to the big comeback. He has started kicking better than any other day. The conviction with which he entered the tricky par putt on hole 2 seemed a sign that something big could happen.
He has been chaining pairs more easily than yesterday, with some birdie options like on 3 and 4. On 5 he putted another good par putt. One more good sign. And immediately afterwards he put another stone for the epic with a great birdie on the 6th hole, after a huge tee shot, a great third shot and a very good two meter putt.
More birdie options at 7 and 8 that did not go in and a very good save at 9 for par from a meter and a half after recovering from the bunker. At that moment, Jon’s return gave off the aroma of a big day. He had put on his Sunday suit, red and gray, and was marching to bugle call, always with the prudence of facing a fierce rival like Bay Hill. The matter was fully confirmed with the birdie on the 10th hole. The wedge of the week. He dropped her to just over six feet and putted in. Yeah, this still sounded good. Jon only conveyed good things. His face on Sundays.
Suddenly, however, all doors were closed on the 11th hole, and more specifically on the green. Jon’s tee shot here ended up in the bunker on the right, a safety zone on this hole, it doesn’t hurt, and from there he hit a masterful second shot. He missed a good birdie chance of about thirty feet, but his first putt was awful. He did not finish hitting the ball and fell very short, leaving himself a commitment of more than two meters for par. Bad compromise on these greens. He had saved the previous ones with a firm hand, but tempting fate on these glass surfaces is not the best. Failure.
There were still seven holes to go, but the feeling after that trip was that of ‘Game Over’. Victory was disappearing from the horizon. But not only that, the three putts did damage. On the 12th hole, par 5, he had a great tee shot, but a bad second shot left him without a birdie. To delve into the wound, the putt he shot to make four, very well shot, escaped making a tie… Shortly after the triad was completed with another three-way bogey on the 13th hole. End of story. That’s where it all ended.
Jon kept fighting because it’s in his DNA. He leaves his life every week to always finish, if possible, with one less blow. But he had no luck or success either. On the 14th he putted for birdie again, the same as on the 15th and on the 16th he even putted for an eagle. He played the book hole. But nothing. More bad blood. three putts. Pair. Not for those.
He finished with a bogey on the 18th hole after missing the fairway and with a balance of more frustration than fun. The greens of Bay Hill have made life impossible for him and, even so, with seven holes to go, he still had the license to dream of victory. It is what has the power of him. He doesn’t need the best version of himself and even with a horrible week of putting he’s always hanging around. Next stop: THE PLAYERS Championship.
