On the second day of the Golf National the best Jon Rahmexcelling in all facets of the game and overcoming difficult moments to finish with 66 strokes, five under par for a total of -9. The Basque is fourth and is fully involved in the fight for the medals, although he has three real ogres ahead of him who are also improving their golf. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama remains the leader after a poor start on the second nine holes, and the 2021 Masters champion is joined by Britain's Tommy Fleetwood and the American Xander Schauffelewinner of this year's US Open and the British and current Olympic champion. All at -11.
Rahm, close behind that trio, showed a much more consistent game than in the opening round, with a single bogey on his scorecard on hole 8, a 191-metre par 3 that he also missed on Thursday. He made up for that with six birdies, three in a row on the first nine holes and as many, also in a row, on the back nine. That ability to string together successes is the best guarantee for the Basque's chances this weekend. “It was a great day. I didn't need anything spectacular. I played well, the only mistake was the three putts on the eight. Also the tee on 18, but it's such a complicated hole that anyone can have a bad swing. “It was one of those nice rounds,” the man from Barrika explained at the end.
“I've put myself in a good position. I hope to continue playing with the same discipline that I've had so far. “I've made some really good decisions and that's been noticed.” As on the first day, the Spaniard's route was followed by a crowd of spectators on the route at Versailles.
He is not excluded from the fight for medals David Puigwho recovered from two consecutive stumbles on holes 7 and 8 to end the second round as a shot, with three birdies on 12, 14 and 16. It could have been better, because he left some putts along the way, but the -4 he presented in the clubhouse makes him hopeful, even if the strategy can change: “On this course, underperforming means you've done something well. I played very orderly and eliminated a few exits. I leave happy that I was able to overcome it. It's the Olympic Games and no one cares if you come fourth, fifth or sixteenth. My thought is that I want to give myself an option, and if that requires me to play more aggressively, maybe I will. The medal is still there, but I have to do very well the remaining two days.
44 of the 60 players in the competition are undersized. The field is receptive and a good performance from everyone next Saturday could put them in contention. Scottie Scheffler, with -5 in total after a regular day, or Rory McIlroy (-6), are other favorites who have not yet said their last word.