Rahm cards 67 at Shadow Creek despite glove mix up

LAS VEGAS – Jon Rahm ripped off his glove after a pulled drive on the par-5 16th at Shadow Creek and tossed it in the trash. Moments later he was shoulder deep back in there fishing around and pulling it out.

It’s not uncommon for professional golfers to use two or three gloves a round but it is extremely uncommon to see them dumpster diving for one.

Turns out Rahm had he wrong size replacements in his golf bag and he still had 11 and a half holes to play in the opening round of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK. So he did what needed to be done, rolled up the sleeve and pulled it out.

Turns out there was a mix up with his equipment guys but his wife Kelley was on hand to make a switch at the turn and the 25-year-old added four birdies to shoot a 5-under 67, leaving him just two back of playing partner Tyrrell Hatton’s 7-under lead.

“Things happen. I had the wrong size…, nobody's perfect,” Rahm said afterwards. “The one I threw away was just a little too dry, so I was losing grip in the hand and they were too small so I couldn't use them... Not that it affected much. I had to go fish it out of the trash can, that's the only part.”

Outside of the glove issue, it was a banner day for Rahm who led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+) and proximity (26 feet, four inches). He was second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+).

“Played solid out there, played really good, strong off the tee. I think I'm really pleased with the stretch of holes on 18, 1 and 2. To get to 3 under, it just made it a lot easier, gave me confidence and that's why I played the back nine how I did.

Rahm said he wasn’t surprised to be a little rusty on the greens. He lost almost a stroke to the field putting in his opening nine holes but gained almost a stroke on his back nine. It’s been three weeks since he played the U.S. Open and he revealed he took one of those completely off.

“I took one week off of golf then tried to practice, but in Arizona most golf courses are overseeded. You can do some ball‑striking, but putting was challenging, most greens are slow,” he said. “I think that was the hardest thing. That's probably why I missed so many on the front nine, I was so concerned about the speed more than anything.

“Once I had the feel, made it easier. It's nice to come back from a little break and put a solid round like today.”