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On the surface, it was a decent start to the 106th PGA Championship for Jon Rahm.

The Spaniard headed back into the Valhalla clubhouse in a share of 47th place on one-under-par.

But it was a case of two very different nines, as Rahm went out in 38 before taking 32 blows on his way back in.

Five birdies on holes ten, 13, 15, 17 and 18 effectively played Rahm back into the championship after he threatened to leave Kentucky early following a disastrous start.

The two-time major champ won the Masters after double-bogeying the first hole, but this early bid for a first Wanamaker trophy was far worse.

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Rahm dropped a shot on four of the first six holes after missing the green on three of those, whilst three-putting from almost 50 feet on the fourth.

Beating just five of the 21 club pros in the field, Rahm was sizzling. And on the 16th hole, a seven iron caught the brunt of it.

Calling the action, the commentators said: “Rahm, right in the middle of the fairway.

“180 yards left, a seven iron in hand. Uh oh… not good. That was a full-on club throw from Jon Rahm, and that’s why.”

To watch the club throw, click here.

The red mist helped Rahm get into the red figures, though, as he birdied the next two – and final two – holes of his opening round.

Noise has surrounded Jon Rahm since he arrived in Louisville this week. During his press conference on Tuesday, he shot down any concerns over his current form.

“I mean, I don’t think my game is in any sort of issues,” Rahm insisted.

“I didn’t play good at Augusta, but so far, I haven’t missed a top 10. I know it’s smaller fields, but I’ve been playing good golf. It’s just the one major that I played clearly wasn’t great.

“Have I played my best golf? No. But I do feel the last few weeks, especially coming off Singapore, I felt, you know, made a couple tweaks that you wouldn’t be able to tell. It’s just very minor things.”

Meanwhile, Rahm was quick to defend his position on LIV Golf and explained that he is not on ‘the other side’.

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“See you guys keep saying “the other side” but I’m still a PGA Tour member, whether suspended or not,” he said. “I still want to support the PGA TOUR. And I think that’s an important distinction to make.

“I don’t feel like I’m on the other side. I’m just not playing there. That’s at least personally.

“I’m going to say what I’ve said all along, I hope we reach a resolution and a resolution that’s beneficial for everyone. But I couldn’t really tell you much about what’s happening.”

Rahm will tee off for his second round at 13.37 (BST) alongside Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young.


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John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.

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