Jon Rahm joined the lead with his very first shot of the third day of the 2020 Masters Tournament and stayed there as the second round was completed at Augusta National Golf Club.
When the sun set over Magnolia Lane on Friday, Rahm put his marker down five feet from the hole on the 13th green, and when he returned to it at 7.30am on Saturday morning, he stroked home the birdie putt to get to nine under.
The Spaniard would par his remaining five holes and post a 66 that left him alongside Mexican Abraham Ancer, Americans Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, and Australian Cameron Smith at the top of the leaderboard.
Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed – the 2018 champion – picked up two shots in his remaining seven holes to get within one but he did not make it easy for himself, registering four birdies and two bogeys to finish his 68.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama parred his remaining three holes to sign for a 68 and Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan birdied the par five eighth to also join American Patrick Cantlay and South Korea’s Sungjae Im at eight under.
On Friday, Rahm took advantage of the par five second and eighth, holed a long putt on the fourth, hit an excellent approach at the ninth and made a 13 footer on the 12th before the light closed in.
After making that birdie on the 13th, he looked certain to give the shot back on the par five 15th when he had to lay up, went over the back and then hit a poor chip, but he chipped in at the second time of asking to keep a clean card.
“When you get to 15, I hit a good tee shot and I’m in between clubs, I’m feeling good but it’s so early, it’s cold, there’s a little dew on the ball,” he said. I didn’t want to risk it and ended up long.
“That chip, essentially it’s about as easy as they come. To be honest, I was just trying to get it to land in the right spot and hopefully hit it on the right line, which I did. It’s a big bonus.”
Of his decision not to putt out on Friday evening, Rahm added: “It was getting a little bit too dark to maybe see the line. I didn’t want to second guess myself and maybe there was a little bump on the way that I didn’t see or fix.
Reed also left himself a putt overnight on the 12th from the fringe, although his was for par and he did not make it, but he bounced back with gains on the par five 13th and 15th.
A tee shot to seven feet at the 16th had him within one but he dropped a shot on the next before hitting back with a closing birdie.
English trio Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Danny Willett were at seven under, a shot clear of South African Dylan Frittelli, Colombian Sebastian Munoz and another South African in Louis Oosthuizen, who slipped a shot back in his remaining six holes.
European Tour Release, Nov 14, 2020
