If you visit the vast Club de Campo de Madrid and look for Jon Rahm's game, listen by ear and sight: you'll eventually find a line of fans marching briskly by. They're likely faithfully following the pace of the Barrika native, who, while he's been causing a stir in the capital all week, has taken it even further on the third day of the tournament.
Saturday, just before a national holiday and with a bright sun. Ideal conditions for watching a round of golf, even more so if the local idol is playing at home. Rahm has been the main object of desire in Madrid all week, but this Saturday saw a particularly strong turnout for the Spanish Open.
Rahm, results
Let's listen to you and the lines of people guide us to see Rahm. Because if you want to see him putt, you'll have to get a spot early. Loyal to Jon, his legion of fans packed every green of his round, every tee shot, making it virtually impossible to follow every shot from the Barrika native's side of the course. The small gaps in the crowd to watch him putt, or the cell phones of those trying to immortalize their idol, were the best way to see Rahm in action for the vast majority of his holes this Saturday.
We followed him from 1 to 9 in an atmosphere that magnified what we experienced during the first two days in Madrid. Schools don't hold classes on Saturdays, so a huge number of children of all ages came to see Rahm in action firsthand. Numerous requests for balls from Jon after each hole, excitement when the Barrika player passes by, high fives that are much more than that when Rahm can deliver them, and a day of golf to remember.
Madrid was as lively as ever, but it was louder than ever for purely statistical reasons: if the number of fans grows, the decibels soar. Even during the bogeys on holes 1 and 5, after the previous lament of missed par putts, it was impossible to tell whether the result was good or bad for Rahm if you only looked at the sound of his balls going in.
Although, of course, Rahm provided plenty of reasons to cheer during a first half of the round, which ended at -3 after offsetting those two bogeys with an eagle and three birdies. Jon provoked a thunderous roar on the par-five 4th after sinking a putt from the edge of the green.
He rivaled the emerging player after a magical second shot on the 6th, where the spin of the ball caused a backspin that resulted in the birdie. It was impossible to see the birdie on the 7th from the green, with the green packed well into the fairway.
Nor was the putt on the 8th, after a stellar second shouted in unison by the fans. But you know, if you get to the Country Club this weekend and can't find a spot on a green, be patient: it will be because Jon Rahm is playing there. Jon brought "Rahm-mania" to a head in Madrid this Saturday.
