Thirty-five years had passed since a Spaniard had lifted the Clarete Jug. he wanted so much Jon Rahm to happen to Severiano Ballesteros that in hole one he was ahead of his turn and was already puncturing the ball when the starter still advertised Viktor Hovlandhis party partner.
Apart from 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 waterproof clothing, an umbrella in the left hand and a beer in the right.
Rory McIlroy the atmosphere began to heat up Hoylake with three birdies in the first five holes and entering the tournament with -6. He would finish in that figure as the sixth ranked in the tournament, but with no real chance of victory. The win went to Brian Harmanwho at 36 years old, manages to win for the first time in a major.
Jon came out aggressive, had chances with putts long, but thrown with courage and determination like those of the first four holes. in the five, that of Barrika culminated the birdie. They are drive, far to the left and fated for the bushes, ended up in a clear corridor with a perfect position to attack the hole. finished the first birdie of the day with a putt just over a meter.
‘Rahmbo’ was close with -7 to three shots from Harman, who started with bogey in hole two and in hole five, where he shot his tee ball into the very bush Rahm had fortunately flirted with just minutes before. It would be the moment where the Spanish got closer to the Jarra de Clarete.