Football
Jon Rahm has played alongside plenty of raucous galleries in his career, but nothing quite like the wall of noise following Tommy Fleetwood at Royal Birkdale this week. And after three days of it, the Spaniard has arrived at an amusing conclusion about England’s football fortunes.
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Rahm and Fleetwood teed off together in Saturday’s third round at 9.35 a.m. The pairing became one of the more notable ones on the course as it put Europe’s two most reliable Ryder Cuppers in the same group. Speaking to the media afterwards, Rahm could not resist connecting the defending home support to FIFA and how the crowd made him feel.
“The best way I can explain it is it was so intense that, without meaning any disrespect to England, I’m glad England didn’t win the game because I would be having a heck of three days with the fans if they played Spain in the final.
“You can hear it constantly, no matter where he goes. It’s constant, unconditional support. The best part is they cheer him on, but they’re respectful to everybody else playing. That’s what makes it so fun for all of us. No matter how late in the round, how bad things get, everybody is almost cheering for everybody in the group. I’ve felt plenty of support even playing with Tommy, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
The match Rahm references is England’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina in Atlanta. England led through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute finish, but Enzo Fernández’s 85th-minute equalizer, assisted by Lionel Messi, and Lautaro Martínez’s stoppage-time winner ended their first World Cup final shot since 1966.
That result set up Argentina against Spain in the World Cup final in New Jersey. Had England beaten Argentina, Rahm would have been playing his Open Championship round alongside Fleetwood in the same week in his own country, facing a fan base like England’s. Rightfully, he would not hear the end of it.
That said, Fleetwood is no stranger to carrying local expectations. The Southport-born golfer used to sneak over to the fence at Royal Birkdale as a child, and undoubtedly, it’s his favorite place to be. Also, the English fans love their local. Across the week, organizers expect roughly 300,000 attendees, many of whom will follow his group.
Rahm has not paired with him much previously, but has witnessed the overwhelming support from a distance at the Ryder Cup. Fleetwood pairs with Rory McIlroy, while Rahm is usually paired with Tyrrell Hatton. Both Fleetwood and McIlroy have been Europe’s most dependable players in recent Cups.
Even Fleetwood has spoken about the love from fans as he prepares for Round 1.
“It’s very rare to have an opportunity to play a tournament, let alone The Open, in the town where you grew up in front of fans who are all there to support you.”
While the crowd is high with Fleetwood’s fever, in Rahm’s own words, the spectators cheer on all the players, too. For instance, neither of the duo entered Saturday’s rounds with much daylight; they were at 4 under. But the home crowd behind them for 18 holes clearly cheered them up. The Spaniard opened his round with an out-of-bounds tee shot and a double bogey, but soon steadied himself to stay within range of the leaders.
Fleetwood pushed as high as seven under before a late bogey on 18 dropped him to a share of ninth at five under, four shots back. That said, he’s still very much alive heading into Sunday as he eyes his first major win.
Moreover, Rahm knows a thing or two about carrying a nation’s hope on home soil himself. He’s also been vocal recently about wanting more of his home tournament, telling reporters last week that he’d support golf majors eventually traveling to new markets and pushing for the Spanish Open to be elevated under the PGA Tour’s incoming restructuring.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to play what’s most likely his favorite event of the year at home because I get a pinch of what it feels like to play when I play in Spanish Open. And if it is a major in Spain, I can only imagine what it feels like.”
Rahm will tee off at 12:55 p.m. BST, while Fleetwood will tee off at 1:40 p.m. BST.
Read More Maribel Serna