PACIFIC PALISADES — John Rahm’s 6-under 65 in Saturday’s third round of the Genesis Invitational was the third time over his last four rounds that the talented Spaniard has posted that score at Riviera Country Club, regarded as one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour.
Rahm’s bogey-free 65 on Saturday allowed him to open up a three-shot lead on 2021 Genesis champion Max Homa who sits alone in second place at 12 under and Keith Mitchell who is alone in third place at 11 under.
Rahm started his round with a birdie on the par-5, first hole and ended it by sinking a 23-foot birdie putt on 18, putting an exclamation on Rahm’s day and his effort.
“It was a great round of golf,” Rahm. “I took advantage of a couple good lies in the rough and made every putt that I needed to keep the round going, highlighted by the one on 13 (a 12-foot putt that saved par). I’ve seen that putt (on 18) hit a million times and we all leave it just a couple, a couple rolls short, so I just wanted to get it there. Felt good obviously making it, it’s a huge bonus, right? To be able to make one and extend the lead going into tomorrow, it’s a big bonus.”
Rahm opened the year with back-to-back wins and but the last two starts he’s come up short on the final day despite playing in the final group both times.
With the strength of the field in this week’s event and how challenging Riviera can be, Rahm knows he needs to come out and post another low score if he hopes to claim his first Genesis Invitational title.
“Somebody’s going to come out tomorrow and shoot a round of 4, 5, 6, 7 under, it happens every single tournament we play in,” Rahm said. “So, I have to be aware that somebody’s going to make a run and I’m going to have to shoot a 60s round for sure to give myself a chance to win as well. Just aware that I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
With three top 20 finishes in his four previous starts at Riviera, it’s clear that it’s a…
Read the full article here
