Cameron Smith (64) and World No. 1 Jon Rahm equalled the course record with a magnificent 61 to take joint lead after Day 3 of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Excerpts from an interview:
Such a great battle out there. Course record. Some incredible golf.
Jon Rahm: Yeah, pretty much you said it. We (Cameron) were both even par through 4 and a combined, was it 21-under par between the two of us in the last 14 holes? Well, it’s golf and it’s this golf course, right?
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The first few holes are birdieable, but you come out the gates, it’s almost like a little bit of a warm-up and then you get to 5 and with a good tee shot its reachable and very accessible, actually. I hit a 9-iron today and yesterday. So it kind of gets you going. You get on the birdie train and things like today can happen. It’s the second 61 of the day and whatever it looks like the 35th 9-under of the week as well, right?
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So it’s definitely a doable golf course, but you still have to hit the shots, and come tomorrow we got to keep doing the same thing. We had a fun battle today and I’m guessing tomorrow’s going to be more of the same. We’re going to need a lot of birdies to get ahead and get the win.
I know guys can come from behind and shoot low ones, but you have that five-shot buffer. Does it feel a little bit like match play if you can get into that groove again?
Rahm: Yes and no. Because if we get a similar a day someone can come and shoot 10, 11, 12-under, depending where they’re at, 5- to 7-under, and you still need to post a good score. I think what I got to keep doing is just keep hitting it as well as I am tee to green. Keep putting it in the fairway and keep hitting good iron shots, give myself plenty of looks, and some of them will go in. You can get hot on this golf course and hopefully I can do the same thing tomorrow.
Yesterday you were leaving them short in the heart. Today you were smashing them in. It was brilliant putting as well today. That must have given you confidence knowing you got your speed right.
Rahm: Yeah, I only left one short and I couldn’t believe it stayed short. The one on 13. Because it’s such a downhill and I’m aiming that putt three feet right. I’m eight feet away, right, so it was hard to believe I left it short, but nonetheless it was a good putt, so I couldn’t really get too mad about it.
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But, yeah, it all started on 2. I made that putt on 2, I made that putt on 4, and it gave me a lot of confidence and I kept going, made a couple of those putts that yesterday I left short and it gave me so much confidence I just kept going. But the number of those birdie/eagles were very short putts, you know, it speaks to the ball striking I had today.
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We know you guys are the best until the world, but still when it’s like that, you guys are pouring putts in on top of each other, iron shots straight on top of each other, does it even be surprising for you at all? I mean, on 17 I saw you guys have a bit of a back and forth.
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Rahm: Yeah, it was fun. I told him it looks about this big to him right now. You know, you feed off each other, right? I had three shots to make up today and he wasn’t making it easy and not that I’m about a thinking about a score, I’m just trying to shoot the lowest score I can on a hole. Because you stand on the tee on 14 and you’re thinking, well, he’s probably going to birdie 14 and 15 and have good looks at 16, 17 and 18, so I got to do the same thing.
And I was able to execute perfectly and give myself a lot of chances and a lot of those were short putts.
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