WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — It took Jon Rahm until his 11th LIV Golf start to win on the tour he joined prior to the 2024 season.
He’s now 18 holes from making it-back-to back victories following a scintillating back nine during Saturday’s second round at The Old White.
By playing his last eight holes in 7-under par, Rahm carded an 8-under 62 Saturday to move to 14-under par and hold a two-shot lead ahead of Sunday’s final round.
“Great round of golf. Maybe not the fastest start you can get out on this track, but just good swings, good golf in general, and from the 10th hole on was pretty special,” Rahm said. “To play those holes 8-under was some good golf. I didn’t really make many mistakes, and it showed.
“I feel like one bogey through 36 holes is very organized so far, and just really enjoying myself out there. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Rahm began his round on No. 2, made his first birdie on the par-4 5th and his lone bogey on the par-3 8th. At even par through his first eight holes, Rahm made birdie on the par-4 10th and another on his first par-5 of the round at No. 12. The latter was the start of three birdies in three holes, and following pars on the 15th and 16th holes, Rahm made eagle at the 615-yard par-5 17th.
He then capitalized on a quality tee shot at the par-3 18th by rolling in a short birdie putt, before finishing the round with his seventh birdie on a putt from about 15 feet at the par-4 first hole.
Playing competitively for the first time since a back nine collapse took away his chances at a medal at the Paris Olympics, Rahm is enjoying his first experience at Old White. He hadn’t played the course until Tuesday.
“I know we’re shooting low scores, but man, if they wanted to, they could make this place very tricky,” Rahm said. “It’s a very fun resort. It’s a very fun, beautiful part of the country that I’m not surprised why a lot of people talk so highly of it in the past. It was on the schedule in past years, it just didn’t really fit where it was in the schedule. But I’m really glad I’m getting to experience it this year.”
Through two rounds, Rahm has hit 23 of a possible 28 fairways, including 12 of 14 on Saturday. The 23 fairways are tied for first in the field.
“As far as my game goes, if I can keep hitting it as well as I have off the tee, I’m going to give myself plenty of short irons into those greens to where you can have a little bit more spin control into some of those slopes,” Rahm said. “The greens are quite soft, so if you’re not careful you can hit a shot that lands close to the pin that ends up maybe not in such an ideal spot.”
Four golfers — Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch, Richard Bland and Lucas Herbert — enter Sunday’s final round two shots off the lead at 12-under par.
Koepka, who was grouped with Rahm on Saturday, shot 64 for the second straight day and ended his round with three straight birdies, including a tap in putt at No. 1.
Gooch, a teammate of Koepka’s on Smash GC, was tied for the lead through 18 holes after his opening round 63 and followed it up with a 65.
Bland, like Koepka, shot 64 for the second straight day, while Herbert fired a bogey free 63 to tie for the second best second round.
Jason Kokrak and Sebastian Munoz entered Saturday tied with Gooch and shot 66 to leave both 11-under par.
Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, teammates of Herbert on Ripper GC, are also at 11-under par to form a four-way tie for sixth.
Leishman shot 64 on Saturday, while Smith bested his opening round total by three strokes with a 63.
Smith birdied every hole on the front nine save for No. 3 and No. 5, but bogeys on 11 and 16 somewhat stalled a round that also featured an eagle at No. 12.
Smith finished with 25 putts Saturday and his 52 putts through two rounds ranks No. 1 in the field.
“There’s plenty of birdie opportunities out there,” Smith said. “The course has been kind of soft — receptive I would say all week. I don’t think soft is the right word.
“But if you’re in the fairway, there’s ample opportunity to make birdies and put yourself in there tight and give yourself plenty of looks. Yeah, there’s no reason someone can’t go out there tomorrow and shoot a really low one and come from behind.”
Sergio Garcia and Abraham Ancer are tied for 10th at 10-under par. Garcia carded a 63 Saturday, while Ancer finished with a 64.
Bryson DeChambeau, last year’s winner at LIV Greenbrier with a final round 58, is tied for 16th at 7-under par. DeChambeau followed his opening-round 68 with a 65 Saturday.
Brendan Steele made a 2 on No. 17 for the first albatross in LIV history. Steele holed out from 285 yards — the longest holed shot in LIV.
“We were trying to be aggressive, get it up there and have a chance for a 3,” Steele said. “It flew like all the way back to the hole and landed really soft and just kind of trickled in, I guess. Really cool. Obviously wasn’t expecting that.”
Ripper GC enters the final round at 36-under par as a team and holds a one-shot lead over Smash GC.
“The couple of wins at the start of the year were very nice, but it was kind of a bit of an odd feeling winning the team event and not having someone stand up there lifting the trophy,” Smith said. “Hopefully one of us tomorrow can go shoot a low one, and the drinks will be on them.”
Legion XIII, which Rahm is part of, is in third place at 30-under.
Tee times were moved up 2 hours Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather.
Sunday’s final round starts at 1:05 p.m.