Two-time major winner Jon Rahm absolved an absent-minded fan of any blame for disturbing him midway through his Open first round, despite voicing his annoyance at the time.
The Spaniard had just carded his first bogey of the day, having reached the turn at two under par, so was not in the best of moods when someone in the crowd whistled as he was teeing it up on the 11th.
“Whistling? Great timing… in the backswing,” said an angry Rahm as his drive sailed into the right deep rough on one of Royal Portrush’s toughest holes, from where he had to hack out for another dropped shot.
He recovered his composure to birdie the 14th and finish one under, three shots off the lead.
“If I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, raining, into the wind off the left, it’s enough,” said the occasionally-combustible Rahm, one of the favourites this week.
“I know they’re not doing it on purpose. It just seemed like somebody trying to get a hold of someone for whatever it is. It was bad timing.
“I think I just used the moment to let out any tension I had in me. To be honest, it probably didn’t affect as much as I made it sound like.
“It was a bad swing as well on a difficult hole. I mean, it’s frustrating, but it is what it is. It’s an everyday thing in golf.
“If anything, I wish I could have played the easier holes, the first five were with the wind today.”
