‘Number 2’ Ram's Smooth Sailing "Leading for Two Consecutive Days"... Lead and Champ in a 'Joint 3rd Place Chase'

Day 2 of Mexico Open: Smoli Shoots 5-Under Par to Hold 2nd Place by 2 Strokes, Kang Seonghun Tied for 58th

'Number 2' Jon Rahm is teeing off on the 2nd hole on the second day of the Mexico Open. Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) = Getty Images / Multivitz

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Number 2 Jon Rahm (Spain) is sailing smoothly.

On the 30th (Korean time), at the Vidanta Golf Course in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Par 71, 7,456 yards), during the second day of the PGA Tour Mexico Open (total prize money $7.3 million), he shot 5 under par, maintaining his position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day (12 under par, 130 strokes). Alex Smoly is in 2nd place (10 under par, 132 strokes), while Patrick Reed, Cameron Champ, Adam Long, Andrew Novak, and Trey Mullinax (all from the USA) are tied for 3rd place (9 under par, 133 strokes), engaging in a chase.

Rahm combined 8 birdies and 3 bogeys. He erased a birdie on the 1st hole with a bogey on the 2nd hole, but changed the momentum with a birdie on the 3rd hole (both par 4). He added birdies on the 6th hole (par 5) and the 9th hole (par 3), reducing 3 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, after a bogey on the 10th hole (par 4), he swept birdies on the 12th, 14th, and 15th holes. A bogey on the 16th hole (par 4) was recovered with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5). He relied on powerful drives averaging 352 yards and a ‘piercing iron shot’ with a green hit rate of 77.78% as his driving force.

Leading by 2 strokes, he is seizing the opportunity for his 7th PGA Tour victory. Rahm is a strong player who has won 6 times in total, including one major. However, it is regrettable that he has been struggling without a title since becoming the first Spanish US Open champion last June. This season, he has repeatedly tasted disappointment at the doorstep of victory, finishing runner-up at the Sentry Tournament in January and 3rd at the Farmers Insurance Open. In this tournament, he is showing overwhelming skill and gaining momentum.

Kang Sung-hoon is walking after finishing putting on the 2nd hole of the second day of the Mexico Open. Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) = Getty Images / Multibits

Smoly joined the competition for the win by shooting 5 under par. Reed also reduced 5 strokes, eyeing a comeback victory. Home course players Alvaro Ortiz are tied for 25th place (5 under par, 137 strokes), Carlos Ortiz tied for 47th place (3 under par, 139 strokes), and Abraham Ancer (all from Mexico) are tied for 58th place (2 under par, 140 strokes). From Korea, Kang Sung-hoon (35, CJ Logistics) is the only player to advance to the final round, tied for 58th place. Bae Sang-moon (36, Kiwoom Securities) and Noh Seung-yul (31, Givent) were cut off.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.