Jon Rahm said on Friday that he expected some players at 1- and 2-under par to have strong starts to their third round on Saturday and make a big move with the soft conditions.
Well, the two-time major champ put his name among those players he predicted, and his 4-under par 67 got everyone’s attention from the get-go when he drained a 15-footer to get his putter rolling out of the gates.
The 2023 Masters champion’s iron game was on full display when he tucked a three-quarter 9-iron to two feet on the difficult par 4 16th to start the Green Mile, and his birdie vaulted him into a share of the lead at that moment.
Though he’d give one back on No. 17, the Spanish star likes the position he’s found himself in through three rounds of this major.
“I’m very happy with the state of my game. I think today was the round that I knew I was capable of,” Rahm said. “Those first two rounds felt very confident, and just did everything a little bit better. So just very excited again to be in this position and looking forward to hopefully having a good Sunday tomorrow.”
WATCH: Jon Rahm on His Search for Another Major Title
Rahm’s finished in the top nine at all seven of his starts on LIV in 2025, so he’s tasted contention quite a bit. However, in his post round presser he was asked to describe what’s different about what the final round of a major is like from a preparation standpoint.
“In theory, nothing. I don't think my process will change, my routine will change at all. I will do exactly the same thing here for an event here, for a regular LIV event, for a regular PGA Tour event, DP World Tour event,” Rahm said. “The process, the routine doesn't change. The main difference is the stage, right. We are all aware what we're here for and what's at the end and what's at stake. That's the main difference.”
Rahm’s consistency since he went to LIV has been pretty astounding. The 30-year-old has finished in the top 10 in every regular season LIV Golf start (19), to date. A T-14 finish at the Masters this spring combined with his LIV events paints a picture of a consistent star, just hungry for a win.
Rahm said that he started feeling some of the end game pressure of a major championship kick in later in his third round Saturday afternoon.
“It feels great. You get a little bit of a taste of what (Sunday) may be like, obviously (Sunday) being a little more intensified,” Rahm said. “It was a lot of fun to be there again and it was a lot of fun to play those holes great and finish strong.”
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