MADRID – Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry are struggling to make a comeback after serving to Europe win the Ryder Cup, and Rahm briefly obtained into an altercation with a marshal who tried to cheer him up throughout the Spanish Open on Thursday.
After discovering left tough on the par-4 eighth gap, Rahm noticed his lie and commenced complaining. “What a day, what a day,” he stated, adopted by a curse phrase.
Marshall, who marked his ball, stated, “Okay,” and Rahm instantly checked out him and stated, “Do not inform me it is okay. Thanks.”
Marshall apologized as he left, however Rahm continued to complain that “it is not okay.”
Rahm made par on that gap, however bogeyed the following gap and completed the spherical with a 1-over 72 on the final gap of the day. Rahm holed a bunker shot on the par-5 14th for eagle, however his spherical ended with only one birdie and 4 bogeys.
Rahm performed in the identical group as Lowry, who made the decisive Ryder Cup putt for the Europeans in New York final month, when a raucous house crowd plagued the Europeans from the beginning. Rahm stated throughout his time in Madrid that the Ryder Cup was the mentally hardest week of his profession.
Lowry shot a 4-over 75 within the opening spherical at Membership de Campo Villa de Madrid. The Irishman made six bogeys and two birdies.
The clubhouse leaders had been Briton Marco Penge and Frenchman Frédéric Lacroix, who rounded with a 5-under 66.
Rahm received a document fourth Spanish Open title and is on monitor to overhaul Seve Ballesteros as probably the most profitable golfer on the event for the reason that European Tour was based in 1972. This will likely be Lahm’s seventh look in Madrid, having received in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He was runner-up to fellow Spaniard Angel Hidalgo in final yr’s playoffs.
Ballesteros received the final of his 50 European Tour titles on the 1995 Spanish Open.
That is the primary time the event will give the winner an computerized berth to subsequent yr’s Masters and British Open.
World No. 1 tennis participant Carlos Alcaraz, additionally a Spaniard, was among the many gamers who adopted Rahm in Thursday’s opening match in Madrid.
