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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jon Rahm narrowly missed out on a chance at tying the course record Saturday at TPC Sawgrass.
Now he has a chance to do something even more special Sunday to close out the Players Championship.
While 36-hole co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood hovered around even par for most of the day, Rahm shot 8-under 64 in Round 3 to take the outright lead and move into the final pairing Sunday alongside Fleetwood.
This isn’t officially a major week, despite the annual campaign, but it would serve as Rahm’s biggest win by a mile and further strengthen the 24-year-old’s resume ahead of the Masters.
“This would be absolutely amazing,” Rahm said. “The last two years I played OK golf. I was able to post scores but I didn’t see myself – I wouldn’t (have said) that next year I was going to win this event.”
Next month’s Masters is the major Rahm feels is best-suited for his game. He plays with a lot of imagination and enjoys visualizing the various shot shapes required around Augusta National, where he finished solo fourth last year and contended at a major for the first time.
Much has happened since then, most notably his Sunday singles victory over Tiger Woods at the 2018 Ryder Cup. Rahm wept that day in Paris, overcome by the moment, and he followed it up by winning Woods’ own tournament the following month at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
None of those rounds was as spectacular as Saturday’s go-round, which included seven birdies, one eagle, one bogey and a 6-under 30 on the back nine. The numbers show just how dialed in Rahm was down the stretch – His 242-yard 4 iron at the par-5 11th landed inside four feet for an eagle 3. He also made birdie at No. 17 by landing his tee shot just two feet, nine inches from the cup.
Rahm narrowly missed a 13-foot birdie try at No. 18 that would have matched the course record of 62.
“I was very committed on each shot, and it worked out and it showed especially on the back nine once things got a little tense,” Rahm said. “We got very, very committed to each shot and (caddie Adam Hayes) helped get away and get focused on the moment and I ended up hitting a lot of them close.”
While Rahm cruised through the course beneath overcast skies and chilly temperatures, McIlroy and Fleetwood had to grind away for a pair of 2-under 70s. Fleetwood opened with an ugly three-putt double bogey, but recovered down the stretch with birdies at 16 and 17.
McIlroy couldn’t find fairways throughout the afternoon and scrambled hard to ensure the round didn’t get away from him following a bogey-bogey start.
“I showed some character out there, showed some grit,” McIlroy said. “Got a few back. It would have been nice to pick up a couple in the last few holes, but I’m still right there going into tomorrow.”
Perhaps the Irishman will fare better outside of the Sunday final pairings that have proved troublesome, including his even-par 72 in Round 4 last week at Bay Hill.
It’s been a year since McIlroy’s last victory, at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational, and he’s had a ton of chances lately with five consecutive top-6 finishes. Opportunity is calling again this week at one of the few elite tournaments he has not yet won.
Rahm listed several of McIlroy’s accomplishments during a post-round media session, but he knows there are a host of names who could come from behind Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
“I’m expecting a lot of people in front of us tomorrow to post a score,” Rahm said. “Hopefully I’m one of those who starts hot as well.”
After Saturday’s round, it’s clear his game is more than strong enough to snag his first stateside signature victory.
“It’s career-defining,” Rahm said of the Players Championship. “There’s very few select players that get to win here and only a very few number that have gotten to do it more than once, so it shows that to win out here you need to play really, really good golf. It would be an incredible win.”
