Jon Rahm made the most of Moving Day at the 2023 Open Championship with the Spaniard signing for a bogey free 63 to launch himself into contention at the year’s final major. The world No. 3 golfer began the day tied for 39th but walked off the 18th green alone in second as the final pairing readied to strike their first tee shots.
Rahm’s 8-under 63, the first sub-65 round at Royal Liverpool in Open history — was one shot off the lowest round in major championship history. Still, it stands as the first 63 at The Open since 2019 (Shane Lowry) and the lowest round of Rahm’s major career.
Once signing his scorecard, Rahm ended his day within four of 36-hole leader Brian Harman.
After a frustrating two days around Hoylake, Rahm experienced some adversity on the greens early in his third round. His birdie bid on the first lipped out, he missed a short chance on the second, and he easily could have converted opportunities from inside 20 feet on his following two holes.
Rahm remained even and patient through four, and while he picked up a shot on the accessible par-5 fifth, a round of 63 was still far-fetched. Hovering at a respectable 1 under when he arrived at the ninth tee, the Masters champion saw his day change for the better on the par-3’s green. Finally able to connect from a distance of substance, Rahm rolled into the back nine at Hoylake with momentum in tow.
His conversion on No. 9 marked the beginning of a four-birdie stretch that put Rahm inside the top 10. A birdie on the 15th inched him closer, but it was the unlikely bomb on the 16th that led to a putter raise and a fist pump from the fiery European.
One last par breaker awaited on the final hole, and once Rahm was able to get up-and-down from greenside for his eighth birdie of the round, the possibility of his second major of the season suddenly became real.
“I was playing well, making good swings out there,” said Rahm. “It’s just, the first two rounds, I never really carried the momentum I needed. I missed some key puts over those first 36 holes, didn’t really give myself the best chance to get myself in contention early. But today was the complete opposite, right? Felt really good with the swing, got every break I needed to make the putts I needed to make.”
What Harman does in his third round will ultimately determine this championship, but the presence of Rahm’s name on the leaderboard undoubtedly makes that task more difficult for the veteran, who has not won on the PGA Tour since 2017.
Rahm remains the great competitors in today’s game, still in possession of twice as many wins (four) than anyone else this season. He now has a chance to put a bow on an all-time campaign.
Flying under the radar pinged by the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy coming into the week, the 28-year-old’s brilliance on Saturday has put the leader, and the rest of the field, on red alert.