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Jon Rahm experienced a whirlwind of emotions during the opening round of The Open Championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. On Thursday, the two-time major champion faced a challenging moment at the par-4 10th hole, where his shot landed in the rough. Clearly frustrated, Rahm raised his hands in exasperation and directed his displeasure toward a spectator who he believed distracted him.
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As Rahm prepared for his swing, he claimed to have heard a distracting noise from the gallery, specifically a whistle. "Really? Whistling? Right, great timing," he remarked. "Right on my backswing. Very smart, whoever it was."
While it remains uncertain if the television broadcast captured the alleged whistling, Rahm later attempted to downplay the incident, attributing his emotional response to the unfortunate timing of the noise. "If I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, with rain and wind coming from the left. It’s a lot to handle," he explained to reporters. "I know they’re not doing it on purpose; it just seemed like someone was trying to get attention. It was just bad timing."
Rahm candidly acknowledged that he also made a poor swing on that hole. "I think I just used the moment to release some built-up tension. To be honest, it probably didn’t affect my game as much as I made it seem. It was just a tough hole," he said. "It’s frustrating, but that’s part of golf."
Entering the final major tournament of the season, the 30-year-old Rahm came off a strong second-place finish at LIV Golf’s event in Spain. He previously achieved his best performance at The Open in 2023, tying for second place. Rahm’s major victories include the U.S. Open in 2021 and the Masters Tournament in 2023.
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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
