On Friday in England, Jon Rahm had the unusual expertise of rooting for a enjoying associate he was additionally making an attempt to beat.
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Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have a couple of issues in widespread. Neither man is what you’d name an on-course stoic, with each enjoying with their hearts on their sleeves.
Additionally they play with the identical emblem on their hats. They’re, in spite of everything, Legion XIII teammates on LIV Golf.
On Friday, in England, the ties between Rahm and Hatton took on a contemporary dimension when the 2 have been paired within the opening spherical of LIV Golf UK, at JCB Golf and Nation Membership. Not that the duo had by no means performed collectively. Eventually yr’s Ryder Cup in Rome, they teamed up in foursomes twice, profitable one match and halving the opposite.
However Friday was a brand new expertise for Rahm, because it was the primary time he’d performed in the identical group with a LIV teammate since becoming a member of the circuit in early 2024.
After the spherical, Rahm acknowledged the weird dynamics of a format that rewards each particular person and crew outcomes.
“It’s a bizarre state of affairs as a result of, nearly as good pals as you’re, you need one another to do good, however you additionally wish to beat one another,” Rahm mentioned. “I may inform one among us was making a birdie, we first take a look at one another like, significantly? Don’t get too far forward or don’t make a lot of these, however clearly we wish to see different make birdies.”
These opposing pursuits led to a memorable change on the sixth gap, the place Rahm pulled off a deft chip from beneath the inexperienced as Hatton seemed on.
“Being low left, I hit an excellent shot, and he simply froze and checked out me like this,” Rahm mentioned, flashing a what-the-heck-are-you-doing expression. “I didn’t know what to do with that response, so I used to be just a bit confused down there on the left.”
For Hatton, it was all a part of the enjoyable.
“I loved it,” he mentioned, drily. “However clearly, it scared him.”
Amid the playfulness, each males performed some severe golf on Friday, as Rahm posted a bogey-free 63 — his lowest spherical but on LIV — and Hatton rang in with a 66. Their mixed effort helped push Legion right into a one-shot lead within the crew competitors.
Within the particular person division, Rahm entered Saturday’s second spherical with a two shot-lead over Andy Ogletree and Abraham Ancer. Not unhealthy for a man who didn’t birdie any of the par-5s on Friday.
“It’s humorous. I don’t imply to be laughing,” Rahm mentioned. “Just lately, I really feel like I’m not doing something unsuitable. I’m not making unhealthy swings. I don’t really feel like I’m making horrible choices. But it surely’s simply I’ve bought a bit of streak of unhealthy luck on the par-5s. Didn’t birdie any of them on the Open. Didn’t birdie any of them at this time.”
Each spherical brings one thing new.
“That is golf, it occurs,” Rahm mentioned. “There are occasions if you get going and also you get pleasure from a streak of tournaments the place it simply looks like every thing goes your manner. So, hopefully at this time is the beginning of one thing like that.”
