Jon Rahm and Ian Poulter let their frustrations get the better of them at LIV Golf Nashville with their foul-mouthed outbursts caught by a hot mic on the broadcast
LIV Golf stars Jon Rahm and Ian Poulter were both guilty of foul-mouthed outbursts in Nashville on Friday as they vented their frustrations during a frustrating opening round.
Former Ryder Cup teammates Rahm and Poulter were left off the pace after the first 18 holes at The Grove as Mexico’s Abraham Ancer hit the front with a bogey-free loop of seven-under-par, one shot clear of Tyrrell Hatton.
Rahm begins his second round in a clutch of players tied in 20th at one-under. The Spaniard, who was making his comeback after missing the U.S. Open last week with a foot injury, had a solid round going in Tennessee but he bogeyed 17 and 18 to fall adrift of the leading pack.
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Rahm’s frustrations got the better of him on the par-five 18th when he found the water with his second shot. But after taking a drop, it was his fourth that sparked his rage, finding the green but leaving himself with a lengthy par putt that he duly missed.
“—- you,” Rahm exclaimed in a rant heard on the broadcast, throwing his hands in the air in frustration as he stomped towards the putting surface.
Poulter, meanwhile, finished the day in a tie for 32nd at level par, and his anger boiled over on the par-four 17th when he flared his approach shot right and found the greenside bunker. “——- —–,” the Englishman shouted twice with his ball in the air, disgusted that he had missed the target and left himself short-sided from 207 yards.
The 48-year-old was able to get up and down from the trap, but it was a disappointing day for Poulter, leaving him with plenty of work to do on the weekend to accrue much-needed points to pull clear of the relegation zone. Poulter is 41st in the standings with just four events remaining after this week and needs a strong finish to the campaign to ensure his roster spot for next season.
It was a better day for U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who sits in a tie for fourth at four-under-par. “I’m a zombie right now. I’m a dead man walking,” DeChambeau admitted, with the joy of the past week taking its toll.
DeChambeau, who was the darling of the galleries in Nashville on Friday, added: “It’s quite an honor to be out here and have so much support. It’s fantastic. This is what LIV is all about.”
But it is Ancer, who already has one LIV win under his belt this season in Hong Kong, who is the man to catch heading into round two on Saturday. He said: “Extremely happy the way I fought.
“Even the last hole, I put myself in a tough spot and then made a longish putt for par, which was really nice. You don’t want to finish on a bogey.”