Jon Rahm has got plenty of work to do if he is going to win the Andalucia Masters, with the Spaniard seven shots off the lead after his opening round at Sotogrande.
Jon Rahm would have surely been the heavy favourite to win the Andalucia Masters, with the LIV Golf star making sure that he makes enough appearances on the DP World Tour to keep his membership which will enable the 29-year-old to be involved in the Ryder Cup next year.
It was a mixed first round for the two-time major champion. Rahm made five birdies and three bogeys to post a two under par round of 70 at Sotogrande. That initially left the Legion XIII captain seven shots behind Dan Brown.
Jon Rahm admits to mistakes during first round of the Andalucia Masters
Unsurprisingly, Rahm was not particularly happy with his performance during the first round, with one part of his game proving to be particularly disappointing.
Speaking to Sky Sports (broadcast on 17/10; 13:52), Rahm suggested that he was pleased with how he played off the tee, but admitted that he did not capitalise anywhere near often enough.
“It just wasn’t my sharpest. As good as I hit it off the tee, I made too many mistakes with my irons. And when you’re not striking it as solidly in this wind, you’re going to pay the price and that’s what happened today,” he said.
“And even then, I didn’t make the few putts that maybe would’ve helped me stay a couple under par and hope for a good finish like I did today. Happy with the last five holes, played some good golf, gave myself chances and posted not the best score, but a score and hopefully I can improve on it over the rest of the week.”
Has Jon Rahm ever won the Andalucia Masters?
Jon Rahm has 10 victories during his DP World Tour career, including three at the Open de Espana. His most recent win in the event came back in 2022.
He has been much less successful in the Andalucia Masters, with Rahm still looking for his first victory in the event. In fact, Rahm missed the cut in his previous appearance in the tournament back in 2021, after posting rounds of 78 and 74 around Valderrama.
Rahm has plenty of work to do if he is going to catch the leaders over the next three days. But it is potentially ominous for many of his rivals that he did still manage to post a two under par round while not at his best.
And with a couple of leaders out on their own right now, there is scope for them to come back towards the field too. So it is far too soon to say that Rahm is out of contention just yet.
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