Jon Rahm finishes second in the Open at the Harman exhibition

Thirty-five years had passed since a Spaniard had lifted the Clarete Jug. Jon Rahm was so eager to succeed Severiano Ballesteros that on hole one he was ahead of his turn and was already shooting the ball when the starter still announced Viktor Hovland, his match partner.

Regardless of the anecdote, the day was British, one of those where fine drops of water stick into your face like pins. A chirimiri, as they would say in the land of the Basque, who did not discourage the thousands of fans who packed Royal Liverpool for the final chapter dressed in rain gear, an umbrella in their left hand and a beer in their right.

Rory McIlroy began to heat up the atmosphere at Hoylake with three birdies in the first five holes and entering the tournament with -6. He would finish in that figure as the sixth classified in the tournament, but without a real option of victory. The victory went to Brian Harman, who at 36 years old, manages to win for the first time in a major.

Jon came out aggressive, he had opportunities with long putts, but shot with courage and determination like those of the first four holes. In the five, the one from Barrika finished the birdie. His drive, far to the left and predestined for the bushes, ended in a clear corridor with a perfect position to attack the hole.. He finished off the first birdie of the day with a four-foot putt.

'Rahmbo' was close with -7 to three strokes from Harman, who started with a bogey on hole two and five, where he shot his tee ball into the same bush with which Rahm had flirted with luck just a few minutes before. It would be the moment where the Spanish got closer to the Jarra de Clarete.

No comeback options

Harman rebounded fast with two birdies to claw back a five shot lead. The putter was his best ally, holed out from 4 meters on the 6th hole and from 7 on the 7th hole. Harman cooled any hint of reaction from behind and Rahm's first bogey came on the first missed green of the day, on the par three of hole 9.

The second nine holes were tense for the Spaniard, who was saving pars while Harman exhibited a controlled golf, without loopholes for emotion. Rahm got a great start on the par 3 13th hole and birdied. After five feet, he was back in second at -7, now tied with Tom Kim and Straka.. But the leader was still solid, four shots behind Barrika's.

Then, the 14th hole cut short Rahm's short-lived reaction. He committed a bogey that seemed to be definitive. Five shots to recover with four holes ahead and an impassive Harman. So much so that he holed a huge cigar from 12 meters that returned the six rent shots and sentenced the tournament in his favor.

The rest of the championship was a triumphal ride for the little American golfer who golfs left-handed but does everything else right-handed.. His record explodes thanks to a tremendous display with the putter: he shot 50 times from three meters to the hole this week and holed out all. He concluded the day on Sunday with a card of 71 strokes, -13 under par in the accumulated.

A long birdie at 18 left Rahm tied for second at -7 (a -1 lap on the day), along with Tom Kim, Sepp Straka and Jason Day, his best Open position, six shots off the winner.. “Very happy with the weekend, you can't always win but I'm proud to have achieved my best performance in an Open.”

Rest

Rahm showed himself with renewed strength after this intense week. “The bad game of the last month is more related to fatigue, these last three weeks without playing have been very good for me. I had never recovered after Augusta and this past week I have come to feel just as good as I did the week before the Masters”, said the man from Barrika about his upcoming commitments, especially the FedEx and the Ryder Cup.

Finally, he said goodbye with words of admiration for the new 'Majors' winner, Brian Harman. “He's a great player, he's been there many times and today he finished it off. He has that grit of a great competitor and something extra to stay on top. He also has a great short game. The closest we've been has been to three strokes and the truth is that I'm very impressed with his game”.

Adrián Otaegui, who also made the tournament cut, finished with +1 this Sunday, five over par in total, tied for 55th place.