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SAN DIEGO – World No. 3 Jon Rahm began his third round in the Farmers Insurance Open with a chip-in birdie from 21 feet on the first hole and then holed his approach from 113 yards on the second hole for an eagle 2.
“And I almost made birdie on three,” Rahm said. “Had 25, 30 feet, and it did graze the hole. I thought I made it honestly. I thought it might be one of those days.”
It was. Rahm added four more birdies and signed for a bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 to take the 54-hole lead at Torrey Pines. But after his round, he spoke to the importance the role his lob wedge played en route to significant par saves on the fifth out of a bunker, on the sixth out of a bunker, and on the 15th out of a bunker. And the up-and-down from a bunker on 13 for birdie was pretty big, too, he added. And the four-footer he made for par on the 11th was huge.
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“Hard to know where to begin. I mean, the chip‑in on one and hole‑out on two, 3 under through two holes, no putts. Yeah, a pretty good start, pretty good way to get things going,” Rahm said. “But I would say the MVP of today would be my lob wedge. It changed a round that could have been 3, 4 under, which is still a great round, into a bogey‑free 7 under. Especially those bunker shots. They weren’t easy and I made it look pretty easy after seeing some of the highlights.
“Hopefully I don’t need it tomorrow, hopefully I can hit a few more greens and give myself more birdie chances. It all starts off the tee, so hopefully I can put the ball on the fairway and play good from there.”
Rahm is at 12 under after rounds of 68-71-65 and knows he’ll have to play well come Sunday as a bunch of players are within reach of winning the trophy. His nearest rival is Ryan Palmer, the 36-hole leader who is a shot back after a 71. Last year, Rahm and Palmer teamed to win the Zurich Classic.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who can become the top player in the world with a victory, is one of four players three shots back. Among those four shots behind are Tony Finau, Patrick Reed and two-time Farmers champion Brandt Snedeker.
Five shots back is Tiger Woods, who’s won the Farmers a record seven times and won the 2008 U.S. Open here.
“My approach? Just play the best round that I can, honestly,” Rahm said. “It all starts off the tee. So putting the ball in the fairway, I’m feeling comfortable enough to fire at some of those pins and hopefully get it going early on.”
Rahm has always felt comfortable in these parts. He got down on one knee and proposed to his now wife, Kelley Cahill, near the grounds of Torrey Pines. He won his first PGA Tour title here in the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open, becoming the youngest winner in tournament history (he was 22). And he visits as often as he can.
“It’s just a really good atmosphere,” he said. “And we come here so often that it almost feels like, with Phoenix and Spain, a home event honestly. We spend a lot of time here. We stay at the same hotel every time we come and it’s just comfortable. That’s the best word, comfortable and familiar, and once you’re comfortable and you just keep on going in that routine, it’s easier to play good golf.”
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