Rahm lights up the British Open to move into contention

Ian Chadband | July 23, 2023

Jon Rahm is the man who’s shifted into another gear on moving day at the British Open, firing one of the great rounds in the venerable championship to power into contention.

The Spaniard roared up the leaderboard among the early starters on Saturday, making hay in the gentle conditions at Royal Liverpool to shoot an eight-under par 63, one shot outside the record score in any major.

“That is the best round I have played on a links course ever,” beamed Rahm, who followed a birdie on the fifth with four in succession from the ninth before picking up further shots on the 15th, 16th and 18th in a back nine of 30.

“Starting on 11, everything became downwind and it got easier.

“It is my lowest round on a links course and it is in the Open Championship. It’s the lowest round shot on this course.

“It feels really good but there is a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

The round propelled the world No.3 from an overnight two over – he had made the cut by just one stroke – to six under, putting him into second place outright just minutes before the runaway leader Brian Harman started his round.

Among his eight birdies in a bogey-free round were two spectacular efforts on the last three holes, as he holed from 35 feet on the 16th and got up and down from the back of the final par-five hole.

Rahm’s score was, by two shots, comfortably the best this week. 

American Harman, who started on 10 under after rounds 67 and 65, was playing with his closest challenger, local hero Tommy Fleetwood, and dropped a shot at the opening hole.

After six holes, the left-handed leader was still three ahead of Rahm and Fleetwood, who had also moved up to six under.