'I Really Can't Tell You' - Jon Rahm Left Bemused After Torrey Pines Final Round
Rahm was in somewhat disbelief as he fired a two-over-par final round at the Farmers Insurance Open
Heading into the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Jon Rahm was listed as the favourite to pick up a third consecutive PGA Tour title. The Spaniard is arguably the best player on the planet right now but, at Torrey Pines on Saturday, Rahm struggled, as a closing 74 put him into a tie for seventh and five shots back of eventual winner, Max Homa.
Many individuals all but thought he would pick up another title, but were left bemused by a performance which we haven't seen for a number of years. Even Rahm himself was left questioning the final round, stating "I really can't tell you" in relation to how he was feeling after the two-over-par slog.
"I got a lot of bad breaks today," explained Rahm, who would have moved into the World No.1 spot if he had won in California. "If I didn't (put it) in the fairway, I got the worst possible lie in the rough. I've seen plenty of people all week go for the green. Anytime I was in the rough, I was just dead as could be.
"And not the kicker to the one on 18, for that ball to end up where it ended up. (I mean) It landed in the center of the bunker and released, stayed on the edge, basically plugged. Instead of having a wedge as my third shot, I had a 7-iron. I made a lot of bad breaks. I can guarantee you one thing, if you're in the fairway, you don't get bad breaks. Just have to play better."
Despite the bad luck, the former US Open winner, who actually claimed the title at Torrey Pines in 2021, felt like his game was the best it had been all week, with the 28-year-old claiming "It was just -- feel like I made a lot of good swings today. Today feels like the first day I made a lot of good swings, they just didn't end up the way I wanted to."
He went on to add: "One was a good swing, ends up long, two was a good swing, ends up short. On five, even the second shot out of the bunker wasn't bad, if it just stays in the rough I have an up-and-down chance, hits the cart path and goes to a dead spot. I mean, I can keep going for many of them that weren't bad swings.
"It's golf. I battled as hard as I could and the only thing that could have saved me was maybe making a couple putts and I couldn't do that early on to get momentum going, right? Either way I knew it would be a tough day. I knew a couple under probably would have had a chance, but I just didn't have it."
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Rahm's incredible run of form has continued though, with yet another top 10 being added to the list of results in the past year. Next up, he will head to Phoenix for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, a venue where, in seven appearances, he hasn't finished lower than tied 16th.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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