Jon Rahm has hit out at a disruptive fan for his slip at The Open on Thursday. The LIV Golf star was one of the early starters on Thursday and started on an impressive note on the front nine. The 30-year-old carded two birdies on six and seven but lost control of the round and made consecutive bogeys on the 11th hole after having a confrontation with a fan.
Rahm Confronts “Whistling” Fan
Rahm’s strong start was broken after his confrontation with a fan in a frustrating moment during the first round of The Open Championship. The 30-year-old later blamed the disruptive fan for breaking his momentum.
The Spaniard, who is chasing a career Grand Slam, started his round strong at Royal Portrush. He was two-under par through the first nine holes and looked confident. But things changed on the back nine, especially on the 11th hole, when a fan reportedly whistled during his swing.
As Rahm stepped up to hit his tee shot on the par-4 11th, someone in the crowd made a loud whistling sound. The noise seemed to throw him off, and he hit a poor shot, leading to a bogey. Rahm turned to the crowd, clearly annoyed.
“Really? Whistling? Right in my backswing. Very smart, whoever it was,” Rahm said in response to the whistling. Despite losing his momentum, Rahm still managed to get back under par, ending his opening round at one-under with a score of 70 on day one.
Whistling Didn’t Affect Rahm As Much As He Made It Sound
After finishing his round, Rahm spoke to reporters about what happened. He admitted that while the whistle didn’t exactly ruin his swing, it was the last straw in a buildup of pressure. “It is what it is. To be honest, it probably didn’t affect me as much as I made it sound like.”
Despite the bogey at 11, Rahm bounced back with a birdie on the 14th hole and held his own through the rest of the round. He ended up just three shots behind the early leaders, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Harris English, Jacob Skov Olesen, and Haotong Li, who were all tied at four-under.
This year’s Open Championship is especially important for Rahm as he aims to become just the second Spanish golfer in history to win The Open and the first ever to claim three different majors: The Masters, the U.S. Open, and The Open. With three rounds left to play, Rahm is in a solid position to win The Open, but as the tournament continues, fans and players alike will be watching closely, not just for the golf, but for how everyone handles the pressure, both on and off the course.
Main Photo Credit: © Mike Frey-Imagn Images
