Jon Rahm faced a moment of frustration during the first round of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. While playing the par-4 10th hole, Rahm’s approach shot landed in the right rough, coinciding with a whistling noise from a spectator. The Spaniard turned to address the fan, saying, “Really? Whistling? Right, great time. Right on my backswing. Very smart, whoever it was.”
This disruption contributed to Rahm’s decision to bogey the 10th hole and the following hole. Despite this setback, he managed to secure a birdie on the 14th and concluded the round with a score of 1-under 70.
After the round, Rahm reflected on the incident, attributing his reaction to a combination of frustration and unfortunate timing. He remarked, “If I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, raining, into the wind off the left, it’s enough.” He acknowledged that the spectator likely did not intend to disrupt his game but emphasized the challenge of the moment.
“I think I just used the moment to let out any tension I had in me,” Rahm added. “To be honest, it probably didn’t affect as much as I made it sound like. It was a bad swing as well. Just a difficult hole.”
The 30-year-old golfer is currently competing in The Open Championship following a runner-up finish at a LIV Golf event in Andalucia, Spain, the previous week. Rahm’s aspirations this week include completing the third leg of the career Grand Slam; he has previously won both the Masters Tournament and the US Open.
Rahm’s best performance in The Open Championship to date was a tie for second place two years ago. His recent form includes a tie for seventh at the US Open last month, following a tie for eighth at the PGA Championship and a tie for fourteenth at the Masters.
The significance of this tournament is not lost on Rahm, who expressed his motivations: “There are just a few things that would make this one so special. Not only getting to three majors, being the second Spanish player (along with) Seve Ballesteros to win an Open and being the only one to three different majors, that would be very, very special, on top of everything that already is.”
As Rahm continues to navigate the challenges of the tournament, he remains focused on his performance, aiming to transform frustrations into success on the course.
