A promising start to the second round of Jon Rahm’s quest for his maiden major victory was stalled on an unlikely hole during the second round of The Masters at Augusta National.
Rahm began his Friday round with birdies on two of the first three holes to reach 5-under par for the tournament, placing himself squarely in the hunt. However, things went off the rails on the par-5 eighth hole, which played as the third-easiest hole on the course on Friday.
Rahm bombed his drive up the fairway on the 570-yard par-5, leaving himself 249 yards and an iron into the green. Looking to pick up another birdie after four straight pars, Rahm’s hosel found his TaylorMade ball, shooting it well right and into the trees.
The look back at his caddie from Jon Rahm after an almighty shank on 8 ?
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— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) April 12, 2019
Rahm was able to salvage par on eight, but he wasn’t able to make up any more ground on the leaders the rest of the way, parring in for a 2-under par 70.
“I think 8 was a big turning point in the round,” Rahm said afterward. “The second shot, I was trying to hit such a hard iron shot just to give myself a better chance. I lost balance, it was a little foolish, maybe lost focus.
“Hitting it in the hosel is never fun, ended up in the trees, but saved a great par. That kind of shook me up a little bit. I was never the same.”
Despite the disappointing finish to his round, Rahm only sits two shots back of the lead.
The 24-year-old Spaniard will play alongside Patton Kizzire on Saturday. The twosome will tee off at 1:55 p.m. ET.
