Jon Rahm had an opportunity to strengthen his position at the DP World Tour Championship on Saturday. Instead, one disastrous stretch on the greens cost him two shots and produced a reaction that attracted attention beyond the leaderboard.
The two-time major champion entered the third round within striking distance after opening with consecutive rounds of 71. With the season-ending tournament unfolding in Dubai, Rahm had plenty of reason to believe he could put pressure on the players ahead of him.
However, his afternoon took a frustrating turn at the 16th hole. Rahm four-putted for a double bogey, dropping from 4 under to 2 under for the tournament. He later birdied the final hole to finish at 3 under.
His response also caught the attention of Sky Sports, which highlighted the incident with a dedicated video on its website.
“Jon Rahm launched his ball into the water after four-putt double-bogey on the 16th hole,” the outlet wrote in its description of the clip.
Jon Rahm’s Four-Putt Costs Him in Dubai
The video is currently unavailable to viewers in the United States. Nevertheless, Sky Sports amplified the moment by publishing a separate clip focused on Rahm’s putting trouble and subsequent reaction.
The damage to his score was substantial enough without the additional attention.
At 4 under, Rahm had gained two shots since starting Saturday’s round. The double bogey erased that progress, but his closing birdie salvaged a round of 71 and left him at 3 under heading into Sunday.
That distinction matters in a tournament where Rahm began the weekend just three strokes behind halfway leaders Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton. Every shot offered a chance to close that gap, while a mistake created more work with the championship approaching its final round.
A four-putt is especially difficult to absorb because the opportunity to finish the hole has already arrived. Rahm reached the putting surface, but needed four more strokes to complete the job.
Instead of walking away with his tournament position intact, he left the 16th needing a response.
Former Major Champion Faces Pressure After Costly Mistake
Rahm arrived in Dubai following a victory at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, giving him a chance to finish his stretch in the Middle East with another trophy.
His opening two rounds kept that possibility alive. Saturday’s double bogey, however, complicated his pursuit at a point when he could ill afford to surrender ground.
The immediate challenge became preventing one poor hole from affecting the next two. A strong finish could recover some of the damage. Another mistake would make Sunday’s assignment even tougher.
For Rahm, the costly sequence left him wondering what might have been. He stood at 4 under before the 16th, dropped to 2 under and recovered to finish at 3 under. Without the double bogey, that closing birdie would have put him at 5 under heading into the final round.
Jon Rahm Explodes After Shocking Putting Disaster in Dubai