Jon Rahm surges into conversation at RBC Heritage

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Give Jon Rahm high marks for knowing himself and pretty much calling his shots.

Admittedly, the “reserves were very low” when he got into town for the RBC Heritage after an exhilarating Masters win. But if wasn’t impressive enough that Rahm was going through with his commitment to pay, it was worth noting that he seemed to offer a promise, of sorts.

“I think it’s going to be opposite to most tournaments,” he said on Wednesday. “I feel like I’m going to be feeling better every day. So I think it could be a little challenging early on, but if I can get through the first two days, I think on the weekend I’ll feel back to normal.”

Word of warning to this weekend’s field at Harbour Town Golf Links: Rahm has felt better each day and he has scored significantly better each day (72-64), seemingly putting himself in a position that has worked rather nicely thus far in 2023.

In all four of his wins this season, Rahm has erased a 36-hole deficit. It was two strokes at last week’s Masters, just one in The Genesis Invitational in February, two at The American Express in January, and five in the first week of 2023 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

OK, so he’s six behind the clubhouse leader, Jimmy Walker, but you get the point. Rahm needed a good round just to get inside the cut, having shot 1-over 72 Thursday; he got a very tidy one to roar up the leaderboard and give him reason to think of a fifth win.

“I keep going back and forth, images of what I did last week to what I have to do this week,” said Rahm, who was asked several times why he was even teeing it up the week after winning a major, considering the energy expended in the process. Every time, Rahm talked about honoring his commitment and owing it to fans who paid good money to see him play.

That they saw him in exquisite form – four straight birdies early on his front nine, then three more in a five-hole stretch coming home in his bogey-free 64 – pleased the Spaniard. If it makes the rest of the field take note, so be it. Rahm has other matters to pay attention to, like a Harbour Town Golf links that he’s playing for just the second time.

“Things can get complicated here on this golf course, so I have to keep hitting a lot of good shots,” said Rahm.

The best part of the day might have had nothing to do with golf and everything to do with the weather. After playing his last three rounds of the Masters in disjointed fashion last week (stop-and-go with weather delays, rounds finishing the next day, 30 holes on the final day) and having been chased from the course in the first round here Thursday, Rahm play 18 crisp and uninterrupted holes Friday with nary a drop of rain.

“Yes. Sunshine, it was great,” laughed Rahm, spreading his arms to the sky. “It felt easy as could be today, in that sense.”

Clearly, the world’s top-ranked player made it look easy, what with birdies on Nos. 11-14 after starting on the 10th hole. Swinging to the front nine, Rahm birdied Nos. 2, 5 and 6, so after playing the first eight holes of the tournament in 2-over, he’s 8-under for the next 30.

“I think mentally,” said Rahm, when asked whether his struggles Thursday were more mental of physical. “Even (Thursday) was a bit of a hard situation on the golf course, just because I’m trying to focus on today when it’s a constant reminder of what I did last week.”

Given that he’s got 36 holes under his belt and that he figures to have approximately 24 hours to himself between the end of Round 2 and the start of Round 3, Rahm looked more refreshed than at any point since flying here from Augusta, Georgia. Even the thought of having the world’s second-ranked player (Scottie Scheffler) playing beautifully and possibly being in position to regain the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking couldn’t spoil things for Rahm.

The Masters champ is getting more upbeat by the minute.

“Today, I felt pretty good,” said Rahm. “I felt like my body was moving properly. Still not as good as I would like it, but hopefully it can keep getting a little bit better.”

As for Nos. 1 (Rahm) and 2 (Scheffler) being so on top of their games, the Spaniard loves the order of things right now and relishes whatever challenge unfolds this weekend.

“It’s good for golf,” said Rahm. “It’s great for the fans.