Los Angeles Country Club’s 6th hole has stoked the debate over one simple question this week: To go for the green or lay up?
Based on where Jon Rahm’s tee shot ended up Saturday morning, he might start making a case for the latter.
Out early in the second group of the day after making the cut at the U.S. Open on the number at two over, the reigning Masters champion laced a fairway wood at the green on George Thomas’ dramatic, blind, downhill drivable par-4. However, it went too far and into the back greenside bunker.
With the pin for the third round set all the way in the back-left part of the small, skinny green and the hard back-to-front pitch of the green, Rahm was faced with an extraordinarily difficult up and down. Add to the fact his ball was partially plugged in the sand and he had virtually no shot at the pin — at least that’s what the World No. 2 deduced.
That’s when we saw Rahm take his medicine.
Instead of playing even remotely toward the hole, Rahm turned nearly 180 degrees away and splashed his ball just off the front edge of the putting surface, still nearly 100 feet from the hole.
But an easy up and down for par this was not. Rahm still had to contend with the severe right-to-left pitch of the green.
And you all thought this U.S. Open wasn’t hard enough!
Rahm quickly gave his putter to caddie Adam Hayes and grabbed a wedge, despite his ball being just inches off the green. He pitched his ball to the highest point of the green and watched it bounce and release right through the fringe.
It was maybe as good as he possibly could have done as the ball trickled just by the hole, but kept running by, all the way to the lower edge of the green, still 11 feet away.
Then, because of course he did, Rahm drilled the par putt without breaking a sweat. A classic U.S. Open par — or “Seve par” as Rahm described his 72nd hole at the Masters.
The save was key as it kept Rahm bogey-free on his round as he tried to fight his way back into the tournament.
And in case you’re wondering if it’s any easier to lay up on the short-par-4, Rahm’s playing partner Adam Hadwin played his tee shot to 117 yards, wedged to 10 feet and missed the birdie putt. Talk about two completely different ways to make a four.
