Rahm, who will make his Masters debut next week, played 108 holes in seven rounds over five days during his run to the WGC-Dell Match Play final, and fatigue forced him to end Tuesday’s practice round after nine holes.
“I was tired yesterday. I am tired today. That’s just things that happen, right?” said Rahm. “Luckily, I’m 22 and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to get one good night (of rest) and be ready to play on Thursday.”
Rahm, who fought back after losing five holes during a six-hole stretch on the front nine to push world number one Dustin Johnson to the 18th hole on Sunday, has been hot all year. In his last five starts, Rahm has four top-five finishes, including his first PGA Tour win at January’s Farmers Insurance Open and back-to-back top-three placings in World Golf Championships events in Mexico City and Austin.
While Johnson, whose win on Sunday was his third victory in as many events, decided to withdraw from this week’s tournament, Rahm felt it was important to keep playing. Rahm played two majors last year — the US Open and the British Open — and did not compete in the final tune-up before either tournament.
So after finishing in a tie for 23rd at Oakmont and a tie for 59th at Royal Troon he decided to try a new approach this year. “For the British Open, I think I would have benefited from playing the week before,” Rahm said. “That’s why I want to play this week. Last week I played good. Why wouldn’t I keep that level of play up?”
The world number 14 will face stiff competition at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas, where 2011 winner Phil Mickelson is among 10 previous champions in the field. World number five Henrik Stenson heads the list and will be looking to go one better than his 2016 runner-up finish to American journeyman Jim Herman.
The other top-10 players in the field are Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler. The tournament, which begins today, is the final chance for PGA Tour players to secure a last-minute invitation to the Masters.
Rivals closing in as Ko goes into ANA title defence
Lydia Ko, her world number one status under threat, says she’ll try not to think about rankings as she defends her title this week at the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration, the first major golf championship of the year.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and South Korean Chun In Gee both have the top spot in their sights heading into the tournament at Rancho Mirage, California. Ariya has been ranked second to New Zealand’s Ko for 35 weeks in a row.
While the 19-year-old Ko has managed three top-10 finishes since making wholesale changes to her support team before the start of the season, she missed the cut in her title defense at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California, last week.
“There is a pressure because you’re the number ranked player — you should play awesome week-in and week-out, try and win every week,” Ko said of the stresses of maintaining the position she has held for 75 weeks. “If that was the case I would love it. But you know, almost if you’re second every week, I think I think you’d probably be the number one ranked player anyway it’s more about consistency and how many times you can put yourself in contention and then sometimes being able to pull it off.”
Ko’s missed cut in Carlsbad, which she said came down to a balky putter, was just the second of her pro career. But she insisted she wouldn’t let it drag her down. With her ANA Inspiration victory last year Ko became the youngest two-time major champion in LPGA Tour history.
She had become the youngest golfer, male or female. to win a major title in the modern era at the Evian the previous September. Ko sealed the victory with a two-foot birdie putt after a brilliant approach shot on the final hole, beating Chun and England’s Charley Hull by one stroke.